What Kapil Sharma's recent Twitter war reveals about television industry
The tweets were deleted and it was said that his account had been hacked.
Comedian Kapil Sharma abusing on social media, then denying it happened and then again owning up to it all has little to surprise his audience. But the fallout of the entire episode in which he locked horns with the editor of an entertainment website is surprising and more worrying than it seems. Kapil Sharma’s newly launched television programme Family Time with Kapil Sharma had to rerun old episodes this weekend owing to dearth of new ones as the actor was not available for shooting. The professional fight between the duo over fake news turned into a personal one as the comedian shamed the daughter of the editor during a telephone conversation. It also became an occasion to carelessly talk about Kapil Sharma’s mental health.
Twitter war
In a series of unsavory tweets, Sharma abused the editor of the entertainment portal for portraying him in a negative light. He also took a potshot at media which is busy defaming him and the “system”, apart from venting out his anger against Salman Khan’s conviction in the blackbuck case. While there have been many past instances in which the comedian took to Twitter to slam others, this was unusual in its choice of expletives. People who asked him not to use vulgar language were also silenced by equally abusive tweets.
In a shoddy damage control, the tweets were deleted and it was said that his account had been hacked. But a day later, Kapil claimed that his team deleted the tweets and he had tweeted whatever he felt like, implying that he is unapologetic.
Maine jo b likha tha apne dil se likha tha.. it was my team who deleted my tweets .. But main is kutte bikaayu reporter se darne wala nahi hu.. he can write anything for anybody just for few bucks. Shameless
— KAPIL (@KapilSharmaK9) April 7, 2018
Meanwhile, the entertainment website put out a telephonic conversation between the editor and Kapil where Kapil accused Vicky Lalwani of running a malicious propaganda to defame him on social media in collusion with Sharma's former managers Preeti Simoes and her sister Neeti Simoes.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO HAND OVER THIS TAPE TO THE @MumbaiPolice . SOMETHING HAS SERIOUSLY GONE WRONG WITH @KapilSharmaK9. IT'S ALL SO SCARY, ERR, EERIE...????????@SonyTV | @ColorsTV | @TheKapilSShow | @Tksshowofficial | @KapilSharma_FC | @KapilSharma1FC https://t.co/WacMMEAFjG
— SpotboyE (@Spotboye) April 6, 2018
An ugly turn
While Kapil’s allegations against the entertainment website need probe, hurling abuse at someone’s daughter is uncalled for, and he immediately drew flak for it on social media. Sharma then filed a complaint against Vicky Lalwani and the Simoes sisters complaining of extortion and harassment. The entertainment website, too, filed a case of criminal intimidation against the comedian.
Some people just want to defame you for few bucks but it will take ages to make a stand against the wrong.. I shall do it today n forever.. pic.twitter.com/Vg8bJoWwhF
— KAPIL (@KapilSharmaK9) April 7, 2018
Is all not well with him?
According to reports, the comedian slipped into depression after his career nosedived in 2017 when The Kapil Sharma Show went off air following a fight with his co-comedian Sunil Grover. Many of his teammates, including the Simoes sisters, left his show. He took a break from television and reportedly underwent treatment for mental health. With Family Time With Kapil Sharma, he came back to television and stumbled in the very first episode for being “boring”.
The complaint filed by Kapil Sharma says that comments like “a failed actor”, “celebrity out of control” used for him have affected him a lot.
Is he really a target of fake news?
While Sharma’s arrogance is well known, it is surprisingly true that he gets too much attention (including negative) for a television star. Every time, he cancelled a shooting, he made news and his whims have been held responsible for that.
Kapil Sharma's language with the journalist was despicable but also a sad reflection of his possible state of mind. The journalist in question is no ethical saint either. He has harassed many people, spun many malicious stories & has created stories with his misleading questions.
— Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) April 7, 2018
Many people blame Kapil Sharma's sudden rise from a reality show (The Great Indian Laughter Challenge) behind his arrogance. In a recent interview, Preeti Simoes, who was Kapil's former girlfriend, said that the comedian might be bipolar and has also blamed his present girlfriend for the disaster. While Kapil deserves to be called out for his behaviour, holding other people responsible for his depression is equally damaging.
A television show being held up for the ill-health of a person, who is otherwise available on social media, is also damaging for the makers, which might discourage making of shows which are dependent on an individual, for the show has to bear the brunt of the ups and downs in the life of the individual.