I used to put newspapers in houses early in the morning, I have worked from PCO booth to cloth mill.

Kapil you have been keeping a strong comic image on screen, but in your latest film Jigwato you are seen in a very serious role. How were you selected for this role?
When we used to do theater before joining TV, I used to do only serious characters. At that time I had never done comedy, always used to be a part of serious dramas. But on TV, when you become a hit in a genre like comedy, you create a popular image in that. Very few people have seen my serious plays. After coming on TV, I got typecast in my comic image. For this role, I would like to give credit to Nandita ma’am (film’s director Nandita Das) and Sameer sir, who chose me for this role. They thought this guy could do it. When I too got the offer of this character, I felt that this is a life time opportunity for me. I have been doing my show for ten years. I have been working on National TV for 15 years, I have been active on the small screen for 20 years, now serious scripts have come to me. Don’t know whether I will get such an opportunity in future or not. I had to grab that opportunity, I did.

Today apps like Zomato and Swiggy have become a part of our lives. Our daily needs are met through them, yet somewhere many people look at the delivery boy with a disdain.
It is true that many people look down on him, but in the background I come from, I have done many small things. For pocket money, I used to work in a cloth mill, have worked in a printing press. I have also worked in PCO booth. When Coca-Cola came new, then he also did the work of selling it. After the Ten Plus Two exams, when there were three months of summer vacation, it seemed that some work should be done for pocket money. In fact, it is a big peak period, of small jobs, so I have done all such works, so I never consider any work to be small or the person doing such work, because we are also crawling here have reached. But you are right that many times people underestimate those who do such work. They think we have given money. I do not say that we want to give any message through our film. I just want to say that we should be a little sensitive towards them. I am talking about adding very small gestures. For example, if we just say thanks to them, they will go back with a smile. Now, how much have we seen those who take away the garbage from our homes. Sometimes we do not know who those people are. I have seen these cleaning workers closely during covid, when I used to go for walk in the parking lot. Then I remembered those days of my school, when I used to put newspapers in the houses early in the morning. I remember many times out of laziness I used to put 5 papers in one place. Then I had to put papers in 200 houses. I feel that many people contribute in our life, from the seller of vegetables to the one who brings milk. We had become sensitive to all these in Covid, but our memory is short. We should always be kind towards them.

How much have you grown as an actor after becoming a father and husband?
To be honest, I could not understand the depth of my parents’ love until I became a father. Many times I used to get annoyed as a teenager why we were scolded for being late at home. Now that you have children of your own, do you understand what that connection is? They care about us. After becoming a husband and father, not only does the responsibility increase, but the emotional quota also increases a lot that I have a wife and two children. Till an age, we are doing it for ourselves, but as soon as the children come, suddenly it seems that we have to do it for them. Whatever work I do today, I definitely have the feeling that tomorrow when my children grow up and see my work, they should feel proud. It is also true that being a husband and a father reflects on your work as well.

You earned a lot of name and fame in your career, but there was a phase in your career when you not only stayed away from your shows but also faced harsh criticism, what did you learn from that?
That phase taught me so much in life that I cannot describe. Actually there is a phase when we are just running, not thinking anything. But when that time came, many things got exposed. I had many so-called friends, who suddenly disappeared in those bad times like a horn disappears from a donkey’s head. I believe that many things are destiny in your life, like now if your car breaks down, it will be luck, but if you break the car after drinking alcohol, then it will be your fault. Sometimes you allow wrong things to come in your life. Now as I went into depression, the reason behind it was that I had taken people’s words too seriously. But after marriage and kids, I have decided that family and health should be my priority. But this understanding also comes with age.

Your show has been around for a long time and be it a new film or a big star, everyone wants to come on your show The Kapil Sharma Show, how do you see this power?
To be honest, at times I cannot believe that I have been running this show for so long. Now when Sharmila Tagore ji was about to appear on my show, I was as excited as I was in my first episode. What can be a greater blessing than this, if you meet someone you have been a fan of on your own set? So whenever stars come on my show, I feel immense happiness and excitement. I consider it a blessing that big stars come.