Kapil Sharma speaks about his career-low, battle against depression and wife Ginni Chathrath

Tribune Web Desk
Chandigarh, September 29

Kapil Sharma has opened up about what he went through at the lowest point of his career in 2017.

The comedian-actor, whose popular The Kapil Sharma Show has long been a yardstick for other comedy shows in India, spoke to Fever FM’s Bounce Back Bharat Fest about what it was like to have to shut down the popular show in 2017 and what was a dark career low for him.

“I think that becoming the best in your job is not difficult but maintaining that position for a period of time is. There are politics, people pulling your leg. So, at that time, I stopped trusting people. They would say something on my face and something else behind my back. I shut my show down even though nobody asked me to do so,” an NDTV report on the interview quoted Sharma as saying. Sharma said his wife Ginni Chatrath remained the pillar of his strength throughout the dark phase.

A year later, Sharma returned to the small screen with a less popular avatar: Family Time With Kapil Sharma. The show struggled in the shadow of its predecessor’s popularity but an undeterred Sharma returned with renewed gusto to a new season of The Kapil Sharma Show and began to climb back up the ladder of success.

“My physical and mental condition at that time wasn’t good. But I thought the best way to respond to naysayers is through my show. I understood it was my show which got me the love of the audience and recognition so I started it again,” NDTV report says quoting Sharma’s interview. “Till when will you keep fighting with people on Twitter? I thought I should start what I’m good at.”

It was his wife who pushed him to begin again in 2018.

 “So, at that moment, you don’t feel that anything will change because all things seem negative at that time,” he says, according to NDTV. “I don’t know what kind of chemical gets released in your brain that doesn’t allow you to think positively. But my family gave me strength at the time, especially my wife, Ginni.”

She was the only one who knew about his declining mental health, he says.

“She knew everything about what was happening in my life. No one else did. My mother knew nothing about mental illnesses and depression… she is a woman from a small village. Not just her, even I did not have much of an idea about it… Paper walon ka bhala ho jinhone likha ‘Kapil Sharma hue depression ka shikaar’. Mujhe pata chala, accha, ye hai mujhe (Good things will come to the press who reported that I was depressed. Until then I had no idea),” the reported quoted Kapil Sharma as saying. “Ginni stayed with me like a strong pillar. She is a big strength for me in my life. She told me that the public loves me and that I should go back to work. ‘Restart your show, you will feel good’.”.