Kapil Sharma recently got a taste of the frivolous side of Bollywood. Even as he readies himself for his film debut in Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon (KKPK),India's stand-up comedy star is allegedly getting a taste of how some friendships in showbiz come with a price tag.

Here's a bit of the background. Most big stars have made a beeline for Kapil's television show -Comedy Nights With Kapil (CNWK)- to promote their films. Now, it is time for a role reversal. Kapil needed to be the star on his own show to promoteKKPKand what was needed was a host.

One knows that several stars, when they made their appearance on Kapil's show, offered to host an episode for him, when it was his turn to publicise his film.

Of course, there are people in the industry who were gracious enough to stand by their promise. The Indian cinema icon Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan agreed to give a special message wishing Kapil luck. As did Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi Sinha, who also volunteered to support Kapil's debut in whatever way they could. Shah Rukh Khan went one step ahead and expressed a desire to post a special video message for Kapil.


Now turn around and ask why Kapil's team chose Ranveer Singh to host an episode and not any of the other actors who were so willing. Well, it is simple. Abhishek is in London shooting, so is Akshay. Ajay is expected to be in Los Angeles for some work and SRK is neck-deep in his next film in Hyderabad. Taking feasibility into account, it was decided they would request Ranveer to host this episode because he happens to be in Mumbai and also happens to share a warm relationship with Kapil.

A source says, "Kapil's team narrowed down on Ranveer, who has been on CNWK on more than one occasion. And the two have had a blast. One had seen a genuine bond between the two when Ranveer appeared on the show for Gunday, Dil Dhadakne Do and other films." Keeping this in mind, Kapil himself volunteered to speak to his dost Ranveer asking him whether he would consider hosting an episode for him.

However, a source tells us that when the request was put forward to Ranveer, the talent management agency representing him reportedly asked for a fat cheque. This stumped everyone involved, including Kapil. Like it is said, there are no free lunches in B-town.

Responding to our text message on whether Ranveer had asked for a huge fee, his spokesperson said, "He was asked whether he would host an episode for Kapil. They also checked what he usually charges for such things. However, he had to decline the offer because Bajirao Mastani has a deadline and it would be impossible to get Sanjay Leela Bhansali's permission at this stage." We also contacted Kapil's spokesperson, who is in Delhi for promotions. He said, "I think there was some date clash."