When Kapil Sharma shot for a show minutes after finding about friend’s death: ‘I felt I won’t be able to do anything’

Comedian Kapil Sharma has been a popular household name for more than a decade. As Saturday marks his birthday, we revisit the time when he opened up about the tough aspect of being a comedian. (Also read: TKSS: Yashpal jokes that women don’t come close to him while clicking pictures)

Kapil came into the limelight with his stint on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2007. He won the show and soon started his own TV show which gave him nationwide fame. His shows, Comedy Nights with Kapil, The Kapil Sharma Show, and Family Times with Kapil have all had successful runs.

When asked about the time when one needs to fight one’s own sadness and make everyone laugh, Kapil Sharma told Zoom in a 2020 interview, “It happens sometimes. It depends on you, but at times, you cannot get your mind free of those things. You know, if something bad is happening to you or you just crossed such a phase…It has happened quite a few times. I was shooting for Comedy Nights, it was a night shoot and a friend called up to say that a young friend of mine, in Punjab, died. He was 35 or 36. Suddenly, I felt I won’t be able to do anything now.”

He further said, “I went backstage, took a five-minute break, and even abused my friend for calling me at the time. I told him ‘Why did you call me now, whatever had to happen has already happened’. So, you do get upset at times. I believe when you are on the stage, whether it was Comedy Nights or Kapil Sharma Show, I think the stage has some magic that divine powers help you. You are going there with a good intention, you want to make people laugh. That divine power cools you down and things get going.”

Kapil’s recent outing was the Netflix show, I Am Not Done Yet. His next project is with Nandita Das.