Desi Today Magazine
by Surbhi Gogia
On screen, he is one of the naughtiest, outspoken, talkative and all the time a comic character. But did you know in real life, India’s one of the most loved comedian Sunil Grover, is very serious and contemplative from inside. He is the one who loves to chose his words before speaking and the one who is happy and satisfied in his own company. Grover, was recently on his tour to Canada with Dr. Mashoor Gulati Comedy Clinic and in an interview with Desi Today, talked about his multi-faceted roles.
When asked, who is Sunil Grover in reality, he said, “I have all the emotions of a human being but I have soul of a wonderer. The one who is mesmerized by the beauty of nature and wonderful things it offers us. Even if you leave me on a street, in a jungle or on a tree, I would observe everything around me and keep myself entertained. I have never felt bored in my life and don’t know what is boredom.”
He says along with nature he loves observing humans and how they behave in different situation. “Without getting judgemental, I love to see how people react.” It is this aspect of Grover’s personality that helps him get into various characters in one single show and play them with perfection.
He is the one who has entertained the audience in popular characters as Gutthi, Rinku Bhabhi and Dr Mashoor Gulati on stage with Kapil Sharma. But after his rift with Kapil, he is performing solo.
Although, he became popular in The Kapil Sharma Show as Dr Mashoor Gulati, it is Gutthi’s character that gained him much popularity and people started noticing him.
So how did Gutthi happen? He says, “Gutthi is basically all the girls I have seen around me. I come from Mandi Dabwali, a small town in Haryana. Most of the girls were like Gutthi. I really used to observe and admire girls who were a bit rustic, shy but sharp at the same time. That is how Gutthi was discovered. I played it once in a show and people really loved it. So I started performing more often.”
Even the character of Dr Gulati, he says, is not unreal.”He is just like any other relative surrounding us. Just a bit caricatured.”
Sunil was born in a Punjabi family. His father was a manager in a Bank. He completed his schooling from Mandi Dabwali and completed the graduation from Guru Nanak College. He did masters degree in Theatre from Panjab University Chandigarh.
He was interested in acting from his childhood. “I wanted to be an actor since childhood, but never shared with anyone for a long time because people used to make fun. But I started performing in school and college and eventually, my parents and my friends started supporting me.”
Sunil was discovered during his college days by the late satirist Jaspal Bhatti. He has also acted in India’s first silent comedy show, SAB TV’s Gutur Gu in the initial 26 episodes.
But his talent was widely noticed when he became part of Comedy Nights with Kapil and later The Kapil Sharma Show. He came on his own after the much talked about spat with Kapil Sharma. Sunil is father of a little boy. So when his son sees him dressed up as a woman, how does he react?
“My son was little hesitant in the beginning of my roles. One day he came to me and told me not to act like a woman on stage. I knew someone must have said something to him. I found out that one of his friends was teasing him about me playing women’s role. I took him to a nearby mall. There were so many people who came up to me and started taking pictures or autographs plus they had a big smile on their faces. I told him how his father is capable of bringing smiles. That was the moment of truth for him. Since then he is very comfortable and very proud of me,” says Grover.
He says even he himself is very comfortable in the characters, he appears in front of the audience. But given a chance would he try some other acting genre than comedy? “Yes. Something that will excite me and something I feel I would be able to do justice with.”
Currently Grover is advancing his acting career in comedy only. Months after he quit The Kapil Sharma Show following an infamous inflight fight with the star comedian, Sunil is all set to make a comeback on the small screen and many are saying that his show may replace Kapil’s.
According to Indian media reports, Sunil might have his own show, where Ali Asgar, Sugandha Mishra and Kiku Sharda will also join him. Krushna Abhishek may also join the trio.
Since Sunil’s exit, the popular television comedy show’s TRP took a major beating. Coupled with that, Kapil’s health problems meant that the show would not remain the same. Many shoots were cancelled and stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Ajay Devgn had to leave without shooting. There were rumours that the show would be taken off air.
Sunil Grover and Kapil Sharma’s tiff was a major disappointment for a number of fans, who religiously followed their show on television. Recently Kapil Sharma opened up on the alleged, infamous spat with Sunil and claimed there was actually no fight between the two. He was speaking at the trailer launch of his upcoming film, Firangi.
When asked about Kapil’s statement, Sunil said, “He (Kapil) took some time to talk about this so I also need some time to respond. I just want to keep working. Meanwhile, I wish him good luck for his film.”
But will there ever be time that Kapil-Sunil fans would be able to see the two together? ” Only God knows how things progress from here,” Sunil answers.
