Kapil Sharma opens up on losing father and battling depression at 36

Kapil Sharma, one of India’s most celebrated comedians, reflected on the personal struggles and triumphs that shaped his career, opening up about missing his father and battling depression at 36.

In an interview with ETimes, Kapil described how every stage of his life influenced him.

“Every phase had its own charm. Childhood was different. When my father was there, that phase was different. After he passed away in 2004, life went completely off track. Then I got another chance on TV and came back on track. At 36, depression hit me hard and I went completely down. People started saying, ‘He’s finished.’ Then I got married. Then the show came back. Then I did 300+ episodes again,” he said.

Kapil also shared the deep emotional impact of losing his father. Recalling the moment he won The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Season 3 and received a cheque of 10 Indian lakhs, he said, “I cried thinking… If my father were here today. When my show started, I remember standing quietly outside my house at 9 pm. In every house in the society, TVs were on, and I could hear people’s laughter. I thought to myself, if Papa were alive, how happy he’d be. I miss him every day, but some moments hit harder.”

Kapil moved to Mumbai from Amritsar aspiring to be a singer but rose to fame after winning the third season of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2007.

He later won Comedy Circus and launched his own show, Comedy Nights with Kapil, in 2013 under his K9 Productions banner, solidifying his status as one of India’s top comedians.

In 2015, Kapil made his Bollywood debut in the romantic comedy Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, which was a commercial success. He also appeared in films like Firangi, Zwigato, and Crew, and was most recently seen in Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2.

Currently, Kapil stars in The Great Indian Kapil Show on Netflix alongside Navjot Singh Sidhu, Archana Puran Singh, Kiku Sharda, Sunil Grover, and Krushna Abhishek. The show has completed four seasons and has already been renewed for a fifth.