Kapil Sharmaâ€™s mother could not recognise MS Dhoni?

Kapil Sharma, 33, is a free-spirited person, who is deeply emotional, but lives life on his own terms. He loves his mother the most in the world and is not just responsible, but also loyal to his old friends, many of whom are attached to his hit show on Indian television Comedy Nights With Kapil.

While Kapil has in the past stayed away from doing personal interviews, he opens up for the first time to Bombay Times. While we get to see his funny side on TV, we bring you his other side. Excerpts:

Your television show is one of the most popular programmes today. How did it happen?
I come from Amritsar, where my father was a head constable in the police department. He was detected with final stage cancer in 1997, when I was still studying, and died in 2004. I started doing theatre in college, but did not have money to give the fees. But since I was good in theatre, various colleges sponsored my education, so that I could represent them in the youth festivals. They would ask me which course I would like to join. And I would ask, 'Which is the most expensive course?' They said Commercial Art and I took that up. I didn't even know what it was. Though I did not attend much class, I also post that, did a diploma in Computer Science and used to love the computer classes as that was the only room with an AC. In reality, I learnt nothing about either Commercial Arts or Computer Science. My father had got very unwell at that time and I requested my principal if I could teach theatre to earn money. That's when I learnt a lot as a teacher, as you learn a lot from students while teaching. I used to do histrionics and everyone would love it, so I somehow wanted to just get into Laughter Challenge. They auditioned in Amritsar for Season 3, but I was rejected. My friend from school, Raju, who plays the servant in Comedy Nights With Kapil, was selected. I was determined and again went to Delhi for audition and this time, got selected and finally became the winner in 2007. After that, I did a few small shows before doing Comedy Circus and then past one year started my own show.

Let's talk abut your father?
I spent less time with my father earlier, but I spent time with him in his last days, when we had taken him to AIIMS for his treatment. Every parent has expectations from their children to go and earn. But he was very large-hearted and never expected anything from me. Though on my own, I started working for a PCO, post Class X, to make my pocket money. I now miss him, but at that time I would scold him and say, 'Daddy, you don't look after yourself and that is why you got cancer.' Seeing him in so much pain, I prayed to God to take him. At that time, we were left with no money and were staying in a rented place. My mother tells me that for the first two days after getting his salary every month, he would drink and have chicken at home and then work for the rest of the month. oday whenever something good happens, I miss him. Had he been alive, I would have brought the best scotch for him in his life. I cried a lot when I came to know that he had cancer. I once caught him drinking but he would say, 'Forget it, I have to die anyways.' I could not show him my emotions much as he was a police guy and so I grew up feeling scared of him. Of course, as I became older I understood how, in reality, he was actually very sweet and not scary. I once saw Naseer sahab's play, where he keeps telling his son all his life to switch off lights when he leaves the room, but he never does that. Then one day, his father dies and without realising, he starts switching off the lights automatically. You realise later how you get your father's qualities without realising it. There was a fruitwala in Amritsar, who was his friend. This man used to own a Contessa and would trade in almonds from across the border and would often give some to my father, till one day when he lost everything and started selling fruits. Every month, my father would give him a bottle of alcohol. When daddy died, I would continue going to him during his shraadh, and while my mother would feed the pandits, I would go and give him a bottle, as I know that it would have made my father happy. Like my father, I too am fond of rhythm and am always lively. I never knew that he was fond of acting, till one day, he had shown me his pictures from an old sandook, where he was doing street plays. And, like him, I don't get worried easily. For instance, I remember when my set had caught fire, everyone was hassled, but I felt, 'Thank God we did not get hurt.'

READ: 6 Punches that became trademark on Comedy Nights with Kapil

Who do you love the most in the world?
My mother. Everyday I can find new reasons for it. She would keep collecting money to pay for my graduation. She likes everything about me, especially that I always take responsibility. In January, 2007, we fixed my sister's marriage, but her mother-in-law wanted us to do a ring ceremony. We had `6 lakhs out of which 3.5 lakhs had been spent on my dad, so we were left only with 2.5 lakhs to get her married. We could not have bought a ring with that money. I came to Mumbai in April and as luck would have it, I became the winner of Laughter Challenge winning `10 lakhs. I called my sister at night, post the show and said, 'Buy your ring.' I then started doing shows and made `30 lakhs that was good enough to get her married. I then got my elder brother married. My mother feels that her son is the world's most bhola person and feels that I don't sleep enough. My mom is very simple and recently, I took her with me for the first time out of India to London. I had gone for my friend Yuvraj Singh's cancer auction. I am a big fan of MS Dhoni and I introduced her to Dhoni sir. Can you imagine my mother asks him, 'Beta kya naam hai aapka?' I was so embarrassed. She knew the name of Sachin Tendulkar, but did not recognise him. I got Sachin sir to take a picture with her and she tells me later, 'Why didn't you tell me that was Sachin?' But she was thrilled to meet Karisma Kapoor on our flight back and got herself clicked with her.

When did you have your first girlfriend?
We used to do theatre in college together. Then one day, she, along with seven other girls, was invited under a cultural exchange programme to do the gidda by Prince Charles in London. She didn't come back only and married a Gujarati store owner there for whom she was working. Coincidentally, I recently met her in London.

ALSO READ: Kapil Sharma to make 'Comedy Nights With Kapil' weekly

Any plans of marriage?
I see Salman bhai and say zindabaad. I will not get married for at least another two years. I see how when my friends are working, their phones keep ringing as their wives are calling. I am a free-spirited person. I went to shoot in Bhutan recently and stayed back there alone for two days, post my shooting. I don't get that love kind of feeling right now, as I just feel like working. I am happy with my old friends from Amritsar, like my guitarist in the show, who also lives with me and Preeti Simoes, who is my right hand at work. The music director Wilson is my friend. I have bought him a small studio, where he is still struggling. Whenever I have to make someone listen to a script or a story, I will only make them hear it as I know they will insult me on my face as they are my old friends. They know me better than anyone else.

Which were your top 3 episodes in the last one year?
My first show with Dharam paaji. He had said no to the channel and had no film to promote and yet, when I went to meet him requesting him to come, he said yes as he can never say a no to anybody. He came at a time when our show was not made and I can never forget that. Then Shah Rukh Khan, who was the first big star to come on our show. It was only after him, all big stars followed. And, of course, when coincidentally on my birthday Mr Bachchan shot with me. That became my most special day.

You are now starting to shoot a film with Abbas-Mustan as directors. Why do you want to do films?
I do TV and have content worth 70 films, but if I shut my show, people will forget me after six months as people's memory is short. But till today, the audience would remember DDLJ. I want to make comedy films that people should say, 'Comedy dekhenge toh iski.'

Any other wishes?
I read somewhere, 'Break some rules.' I felt it related to me. My mind is most active between 10 at night and 6 in the morning, so I work at that time and feel that that is my way of breaking rules. I then read, 'Give something back.' In Amritsar, we used to stay on the third floor. There was no lift. My mother had had a back operation and it was very difficult for her to climb three floors. So my dad shifted into a railway quarters, where one of the railway persons rented out his quarters to us for `700. It had an open kitchen and I remember the cat would come and drink the milk every day. It had just one room and one verandah, where I used to sleep. So once my grandfather came to our place and there were already my parents and the three of us, so it was very difficult for dadaji and he went away to an old age home. I felt very bad. Once an old person gets ready in the morning and his kids ignore him, he wonders in the day what he will do. You give him a duty of doing something and he is happy. So my idea is that I want to keep 60 old people and 60 dogs together. The old people can look after the dogs and the dogs can look after the old people.