Much to the dismay of his fans, Kapil Sharma’s show recently went off air. While his poor health was cited as the reason for his break, there have been many speculations about his hasty departure. In a candid chat, Kapil opens up about his health, his spat with Sunil Grover, and future plans.
Have you regained your health now?
It’s nothing serious. Main thoda phisal gaya tha. Ab sambhal gaya hoon (I slipped a little. Now I’ve regained composure). There are health issues. I’ve checked into an ayurveda clinic for complete detoxification. They’re saying I have to stay here for forty days. I have a film coming up in November.
What exactly was the problem?
It’s nothing that some rest and natural healing can’t cure. This was bound to happen. I was not taking care of myself. I’d be travelling back and forth, shooting two back-to-back episodes of my show, then shooting for my film Firangi. I was not eating or sleeping on time. My health was bound to suffer and it did.
Didn’t people close to you ask you to take it slow?
I was not listening to people. I was too busy with my professional commitments to stop and take a deep breath. Now that I am here, I already feel rejuvenated.
There was a lot written about your health and your tantrums. Were big stars turning away because you refused to shoot with them?
Do you think I am stupid to turn away big stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn? They all knew what my problem was. They all saw how I was suffering. They were all very caring. None of them had a problem. Only a section of the media made me sound like this arrogant monster, who was using his health as an excuse to turn away celebrities, just to satisfy my ego.
Have you been in touch with the stars who couldn’t shoot because of your health?
Arjun Rampal had to go without recording. But he came back because he knew what I was going through. When Anil Kapoorji came and I was not up for shooting, I decided I will stay on the sets and just sit there quietly. But when he saw my condition, he refused to shoot and told me to take it easy.
Why didn’t you clarify your position?
Main aapko sach bataaon? Main bahut emotional kissim ka insaan hoon. (Shall I tell you the truth? I am a very emotional person.) When I see that things are not going the way they should be, I just clam up. I’ve never bothered with marketing myself. I have never had a PR person. Maybe that’s why some sections of the media decided to write whatever they wanted. I was shocked to hear about the things being written about me. Most of them were untrue.
If it wasn’t true why didn’t you come forward to explain yourself?
Like I told you, when I am misunderstood I clam up. But it is now that I realise it was a mistake to not put the truth forward. A section of the media took advantage of my silence and painted me as an arrogant brat. All these stories regarding shoe-throwing and tantrums were started by a section of the digital media.
Would you say the airplane incident broke you emotionally?
It affected me deeply. I started drinking heavily. It was so unnecessary. Sunil Grover, Chandan, and Ali Asgar are all my friends.
What is your message to your fans?
I am not done yet. My show is far from over. We will be coming back stronger than ever as soon I’ve recovered. Please bear with me. Please pray for me.
