With comedian Kapil Sharma shown the door by Yash Raj Films, we look at how celebs can't get away with their 'exaggerated' sense of self-importance

EVER since Kapil Sharma's show Comedy Nights With Kapil went on air in June last year, it propelled him to instant fame. His fan following included the biggest stars of Bollywood who were eager to be on his show. He and his babaji ka thullu act, along with his dysfunctional family members, raised many laughs.

But recent developments say that his story has now become a case of too much too soon. Apart from being in the news for the wrong reasons, there is talk that success has gone to his head. There is speculation that his show might not take a season's break. Or what stand the channel will adopt now that Yash Raj Films (YRF) has issued a statement that their film, Bank Chor, will now go on the floors without him.


Several leading stars, including Salman Khan (right), have featured in Kapil Sharma's show, Comedy Nights With Kapil, to promote their films. On the left is Dadi (Ali Asgar) and Sohail Khan

Buzz is that Kapil's apparent highhandedness cost him his B-Town debut. There had been buzz that he was interfering in the script and that the project was being delayed thanks to him. He was told to lose weight for the film, but he is said to have not done so, citing his busy schedule due to the show. Sources state that he could have balanced his film and TV show commitments instead.

Sources also say that the coterie around Kapil has been making him turn a blind eye to the happenings around him.

For the last few months, he has been caught in the midst of some unsavoury incidents. In January this year, Kapil, who was supposed to co-host at the inaugural day of a celebrity cricket league tournament, walked out at the last minute, apparently because he didn't get a separate vanity van, not to mention that he changed the script to his taste.

When Kangna Ranaut was on the show to promote her film, Queen, she had to wait for a good two hours for him to appear on the sets. Unit sources say that he regularly keeps Navjot Singh Sindhu waiting. Even Akshay Kumar has apparently been made to wait for around two hours.

Last week, he got into a verbal tussle with Deshdrohi actor Kamaal R Khan who mocked Kapil on a social media site. Kapil retaliated; it turned into a war of words. Things took a turn for the worse when the actor allegedly accused the comedian of threatening him through a don. The next day, YRF announced that Kapil was no longer a part of Bank Chor.

From Gutthi to Chutki


Sunil Grover's drag comedy act as Gutthi in Comedy Nights With Kapil fetched him accolades till he decided to quit the show. He rechristened himself as Chutki in his own show, Mad In India, on a rival entertainment channel.

He thought that since he had become a popular name, he'd be able to pull off it off. Buzz was that Grover had demanded a raise from the makers of Comedy Nights With Kapil, and when his demand was not heeded, he walked out of it. But Mad In India did not grab eyeballs and was taken off air when it didn't get good ratings.

Thanks, no thanks

In March this year, Nargis Fakhri, who was supposed to star with the Khiladi (Akshay Kumar) in a remake of the 1982 film, Shaukeen, did a rethink when she bagged a Hollywood film.


Nargis had always expressed a desire to work with Akki; she even signed a three-film deal with his production house at a time when she had no takers - this was after her debut in Rockstar where her performance was panned.

In spite of that, Akshay kept his word of working with her and recommended her name for Shaukeen, but the actress put the film in jeopardy as soon as she bagged the Hollywood project. Interestingly, Nargis was originally supposed to star alongside Akshay in the 2012 film, Khiladi 786, that was co-produced by him and Himesh Reshammiya.

But Akshay apparently decided later on to not cast her in the film, as he thought that her managing agency was making too many demands. Asin was then roped in as a replacement. However, soon after, Akki wanted to make amends and he offered Nargis another film, Shaukeen.