South Star's Bold Statement About Hindi Shows on The Kapil Sharma Show

Speaker 1: Regina, I was actually going to say your full name, but then I couldn't bring myself to say it. Regina...

Speaker 2: Cassandra.

Speaker 1: Cassandra.

Speaker 2: You said it during the introduction.

Speaker 1: I, I... yes, I did. I had asked for your name two days in advance. I said, "I need to..."

Speaker 2: (laughs)

Speaker 1: Regina Cassandra. I swear, it sounds like you've ordered some expensive imported wine.

Speaker 2: (laughs)

Speaker 1: Doesn't it? Regina Cassandra. Regina, where are you from? I mean...

Speaker 2: Chennai.

Speaker 1: Chennai? And do you live in Mumbai now?

Speaker 2: No, I still live in Chennai. I keep travelling because I'm working in the South as well, so I've travelled through Hyderabad, Chennai, Bombay.

Speaker 3: She has come especially for your show. Thank you so much. We really appreciate it.

Speaker 2: Actually, for me, I have to say this because in the South we don't see too many Hindi shows and all of that. But when I told everyone that I'm going to The Kapil Sharma Show, everyone was like, "You've made it! You've made it!"

Speaker 1: Oh my God!

Speaker 2: That's when I went on Instagram and I'm like, "Kapil Sharma." And I'm like, "30 million followers!"

Speaker 4: 37.

Speaker 2: 37 million followers, sorry. See?

Speaker 1: No, no, I don't know, I never really check, but it's 38.1.

Speaker 2: (laughs)

Speaker 1: (laughs)

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Speaker 1: You know, if Regina had studied in our school or college, the boys would have never proposed to her out of sheer fear. If we got the name wrong, the whole thing would be ruined right at the start. It feels wonderful to see you all here.

Speaker 1: You must have seen Jim in many films. In Neerja, he hijacks a plane. In Padmaavat, he supports Alauddin Khilji. In Sanju, he sells drugs. When you got the role of Dr. Homi J. Bhabha, did you thank the director that someone finally thought of you as a good guy? Otherwise, despite doing so many negative roles, you always do such amazing work.

Speaker 5: Thank you.

Speaker 4: But Jim, if I'm not wrong, when you first got the role of Homi Jehangir Bhabha, you initially thought you were getting the role of the filmmaker Homi Adajania.

Speaker 5: Yes, I... someone told me that a call had come from Emmay Entertainment, and Nikhil Advani and Abhay Pannu wanted to meet me. I said, "I've heard Nikhil Advani's name a lot, I definitely know him, but who is this Abhay Pannu? Is he Taapsee's brother or something?" So then I went there, and he was saying that this story is about two men—one Parsi and one Gujarati. But the entire show will be in Hindi.

Speaker 1: Okay.

Speaker 5: And then he said, "We are offering you the role of Homi." So I said, "The role of Homi? Yes, why not?" Then he said, "Yes, he did a lot for the country."

Speaker 4: What did Homi do for the country? Homi made films.

Speaker 5: Then he was saying that, no, I mean, he did so much, and he was such a charming, sophisticated man. I said, "He certainly is. But why are you saying 'was'?" So he said, "Oh, he passed away." I said, "When?"

Speaker 1: (laughs)

Speaker 5: I had just spoken to him. Then he said, "No, no, it's Homi Bhabha." I said, "I was thinking of Homi Adajania."

Speaker 1: Right. Since Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha was also Parsi, and you are Parsi too, did this help you in playing this character?

Speaker 5: Being Parsi, I mean, in my opinion, makes it a bit easier. I understand the world easier, faster. Then I can focus on other things, making the scene interesting. I don't have to focus on...

Speaker 4: Being Parsi. Parsi detailing.

Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

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Speaker 1: Wow. Arjun's surname is Radhakrishnan. Arjun, our second President of India was Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. And now in this, you are playing the role of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. So, did you actually audition, or did you get it just based on your presidential surname?

Speaker 6: No, I auditioned.

Speaker 1: Did you get any benefit from that?

Speaker 6: I auditioned. And actually, my father's name was also S. Radhakrishnan.

Speaker 1: Oh. Oh, wow. What else is new, sir?

Speaker 7: Tell us.

Speaker 3: Sir, we had a great time actually.

Speaker 1: Dibyendu sir, I have seen you in many projects. I saw you in Undekhi, where you played such a lovely police officer. Otherwise, if you look at him, Dibyendu sir has played very negative roles too. He played a killer in Maqbool. In Black Friday, he played Yeda Yaqub, and he plays henchmen in many other films. But in the web series that have come out, he became an inspector in Jamtara, a DCP in Undekhi, Peer Baba in Ray, and a doctor in Mirzapur 2. How did you suddenly go from being a gangster to an honest man? Was there pressure because your kids are growing up and you need to get a US visa?

Speaker 7: No, man, by nature I am actually a good person.

Speaker 1: No, no, we know that, sir.

Speaker 7: I am a family man, I have everything. But what can you do, I mean, as they say, an actor molds himself into every form. So, you just try to bring that element out from within yourself. I feel that somewhere inside everyone, as an actor, all those traits lie hidden. But the trait you choose to bring out is what comes to the surface. The one you don't want to bring out stays suppressed.

Speaker 3: Simply put, he is a superb artist. He is a chameleon; he keeps changing colors.

Speaker 7: Yes, like a chameleon.

Speaker 7: So, yes. We are actually like chameleons. But in reality, I am a good guy, man.

Speaker 1: But you are an amazing actor, sir. I really like you. In Undekhi, you played that police officer character so wonderfully, and you made us laugh along with it too. It was a very serious role. I don't know why, but I felt you must have improvised a lot in it.

Speaker 7: Yes, I did quite a bit, I mean, there was a lot of it. Quite a few of the lines were my own. I mean, once I get into character, I just lose track.

Speaker 1: That's wonderful, sir. Who knows it better than you.

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Speaker 1: Ishwak, you all know him, he became very famous after Paatal Lok. Now, after coming to our show, you will become famous on Prithvi Lok (Earth) as well.

Speaker 1: But Ishwak, what was the response like after Paatal Lok? Suddenly people saw you and went, "Wow, what a great actor has arrived."

Speaker 8: I just want to add one thing. This series could have been made without Ishwak, but couldn't have been made without Jim and Abhay Pannu, our director, who's not here. I want to say that. No one could have done Homi Bhabha as good as him. I want to say that.

Speaker 4: Oh, sure.

Speaker 8: You have to watch the series to see that.

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Speaker 1: Regina is playing the role of Mrinalini, the wife of Vikram Sarabhai, in this film. She was also a very good classical dancer. So, did you learn dancing for this role, or did you already know it?

Speaker 2: I already knew it. I learned Bharatanatyam for four years. But for this show, during the pandemic, I learned virtual Bharatanatyam. And then by the time we started the shoot, it used to be like every day of...

Speaker 4: Wow.

Speaker 2: ...dance.

Speaker 1: You have to hand it to Vikram Sarabhai. Along with the space program, he kept his full focus on the stage program too.

Speaker 2: (laughs)

Speaker 4: (laughs)

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Speaker 1: Rajit sir, you have done so much work. Sometimes what happens is, when an actor's character becomes such a massive hit, people start knowing them by that name. Has this ever happened to you, where you went to a function and instead of using your real name, Rajit Kapoor, people said, "And now, here comes Byomkesh Bakshi"? Has that happened to you?

Speaker 3: Many times. But perhaps because the full name "Byomkesh Bakshi" doesn't quite come to their minds, they say Bomkesh, Bolkesh, all kinds of different things like, "You, that Bakshi, Bam Lahiri." Heaven knows what else. I just say, "Yes." Thank you very much.

Speaker 1: But sir, that is also a great feeling, right? That people have held onto your character in their minds for so many years.

Speaker 3: I suppose it is my good fortune.

Speaker 1: Wow, that's wonderful, sir.

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Speaker 1: Dibyendu sir, looking at the dark roles you've done before—murdering someone, kidnapping their kid, stealing their money. With the kind of negative roles you've played, did you easily find a house in Mumbai, or did the housing societies turn you away at first?

Speaker 7: They used to turn me away. My biggest irony was that the watchman at the building gate wouldn't even let me enter. I never even got as far as buying a house. You can only buy a house when they actually let you into the building.

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Speaker 1: We have a huge research team of one person. He probably lives right across from your house. He shared a piece of news with us that during the first lockdown, you only had two pairs of shorts. And you spent the entire lockdown in just those. I was saying it's a good thing there were two—you wear one, and dry the other.

Speaker 3: No, no, there was only one, and it was reversible with different colors.

Speaker 1: You wore it inside out.

Speaker 2: (laughs)

Speaker 1: And Rajit, Rajit knows it.

Speaker 7: (laughs)

Speaker 1: When did you see him wearing it reversible?

Speaker 7: He knows it.

Speaker 1: But seriously, did you only have two pairs of shorts?

Speaker 5: That's how it was in the first lockdown. Now I've bought a few more.

Speaker 1: (laughs)

Speaker 1: No, but seriously, if there was only one, just imagine if you washed it. You couldn't even go outside to dry it.

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Speaker 1: Ishwak is romancing Regina in this series. In Tamasha, he played Deepika's long-time boyfriend. In Veere Di Wedding, he was Sonam's boyfriend. Brother, tell me one thing, is your horoscope naturally like this, or did you get it customized?

Speaker 8: There is definitely some kind of blessing.

Speaker 1: I swear.

Speaker 4: Wherever you got this blessing from, Kapil is asking you to show him the way too, so he can go there.

Speaker 1: The boy is smart. Would you guys like to have a little wine or something?

Speaker 5: Yes.

Speaker 1: Yes?

Speaker 7: Are you serious?

Speaker 1: Is he saying, "Are you serious?"

Speaker 7: Yes.

Speaker 1: Are you just asking, or do you actually intend to order some?

Speaker 3: Hey, what if we have to pay for it out of our own pockets? Don't say anything.

Speaker 1: Pay out of our own pockets.

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Speaker 1: By the way, sir, you have done a lot of theatre, and so have you.

Speaker 7: Yes.

Speaker 1: In theatre, I've seen that so many unplanned things happen sometimes. Like when you have to improvise, or a co-artist forgets their lines.

Speaker 7: Yes, many times, many times, many times.

Speaker 3: Once, we were doing a very serious scene, and a dog walked onto the stage from one of the wings.

Speaker 1: Oh my goodness.

Speaker 3: Just randomly. Just randomly, the gate of the Sophia Bhabha Hall was open, so it walked in, peeked at the audience like this, we were completely dumbfounded, and then it walked out through the other exit. Another time, a tea vendor walked in. Right in the middle of a scene. He says, "Sir, tea!"

Speaker 4: Oh God!

Speaker 3: So, we just stopped. Everyone stopped.

Speaker 4: Was it a rehearsal?

Speaker 3: Then someone told him, "Please, go outside, a show is going on, the audience is sitting here." He didn't realize that there was an audience and a stage.

Speaker 5: There was a scene where, um, I was working with someone and I was making them laugh. So they started laughing, and their dentures popped out.

Speaker 2: (gasps)

Speaker 5: So now what do I do? They kept laughing and put them back in.

Speaker 1: (laughs)

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Sapna's Entry

Speaker 9: Oh my. Oh my. Hello. One minute, one minute. Not for me, let's have a loud round of applause for the Rocket Boys.

Speaker 9: Hey. No one light any lighters today. Hey, the Rocket Boys are sitting here. There's no telling which boy might blast off.

Speaker 9: Oh my. How are you?

Speaker 5: Absolutely fine.

Speaker 9: Oh sir, Rajit ji.

Speaker 3: (laughs)

Speaker 9: No, no, I have... I have been watching you since my childhood.

Speaker 3: Since childhood.

Speaker 9: Oh, that's wonderful. You used to appear on DD1 in that, right? In Byomkesh Bakshi.

Speaker 3: Byomkesh.

Speaker 9: Bomkesh. Sir, how did you ride a bicycle while wearing a dhoti?

Speaker 3: Now I can tie a dhoti even with my eyes closed.

Speaker 9: Really.

Speaker 3: Because of that show.

Speaker 9: I used to watch it in my childhood. It's been so many years, right sir? My God, sir is the first artist who has journeyed all the way from VCR to RTPCR. Amazing.

Speaker 3: Thank you.

Speaker 9: Very good, a very warm welcome. You guys have done such wonderful work, sir. Very good, very nice. What amazing content Sony is making, right Archana ji? Hats off to Sony's content, right? If you don't believe me, watch from 9:30 to 11:00 on Saturdays and Sundays; amazing content comes on The Kapil Sharma Show.

Speaker 9: And sir, what brings you all here?

Speaker 1: Oh, they have come for promotions.

Speaker 3: Our show is also on Sony Liv.

Speaker 9: Don't take it the wrong way, sir. It's just that when you guys bring something, you promote it. And we promote ourselves. But I am a big fan of all of you. I have seen you too. What did you play? Hazoor. Hazoor, you say it like that. Hazoor, hazoor.

Speaker 5: Hazoor.

Speaker 9: Sir, I wanted to ask you, do you open in the morning or in the evening?

Speaker 1: What is she asking?

Speaker 9: Well, his name is Jim, right? I wanted to join a gym.

Speaker 1: (laughs)

Speaker 9: Sir, one more thing. I really like Bollywood stars. Yes, so will you please tell me, what soap does Ranveer Singh use?

Speaker 1: How would he know?

Speaker 9: Haven't you watched Padmaavat?

Speaker 1: I have.

Speaker 9: Oh, he is the one who bathed Ranveer Singh in it.

Speaker 1: (laughs)

Speaker 9: Yes.

Speaker 9: Anyway, that song of theirs, Binte Dil, in which he is bathing him. Yes. I was in that song too.

Speaker 1: Where were you? You weren't visible.

Speaker 9: I had gone to fetch the towel.

Speaker 1: (laughs)

Speaker 9: Anyway. Hi.

Speaker 5: Hi sir.

Speaker 9: You are Arjun, right?

Speaker 6: Yes.

Speaker 9: I can't tell you how big a fan I am of yours.

Speaker 1: Then don't tell him.

Speaker 9: No, no, if I knew you, I would tell you.

Speaker 1: (laughs)

Speaker 9: But you have seen me, right?

Speaker 6: Many times.

Speaker 9: So say it then, "I am a very big fan of yours."

Speaker 6: Many times.

Speaker 9: Thank you sir, please sit. No, no, but you have done a wonderful job, let's have a loud round of applause for him. Very good.

Speaker 1: Sapna, why are you talking so much nonsense today?

Speaker 9: It's not nonsense, Kappu. Shall I tell you the inside story?

Speaker 1: What?

Speaker 9: These Sony TV people haven't done right by us.

Speaker 1: Why?

Speaker 9: It's a massive conspiracy.

Speaker 1: Why?

Speaker 9: We have been working with them for 14 years. Their series keep coming out one after another. Have they ever cast you or me in a series?

Speaker 1: Sony is giving you work too.

Speaker 9: They aren't giving me work, they are taking work from me.

Speaker 1: How?

Speaker 9: Sir, they take work from us, and they have given work to only one person.

Speaker 3: And in return...

Speaker 9: What can we tell you about her, sir? Now when our contract is up for renewal, she has asked for an appraisal. She says, "Increase my pay."

Speaker 1: Why?

Speaker 9: So the channel people said, "On what basis should we increase your pay, lady?" She says, "Look at my hard work, my effort. Doing my own makeup, stepping out of the vanity van on my own, and walking 20 steps to come and sit here is no small feat."

Speaker 9: We kill ourselves creating content for the episodes. We get so tired. When the episode ends, he stands exhausted on one side, and I stand exhausted on the other. She comes in the middle and takes photos with everyone. Yes. She takes photos, makes reels, and leaves. And the amazing thing is, she uploads them on social media even before Sony does. And when the main promo of Sony TV comes out, just check the comment box. It says below, "We have already seen this, show us something new."