While preparing for his standup routine, comedian Kapil Sharma stood in front of the mirror and kept repeating, “I’m not done yet”. The chant infuriated his wife, she threw a pillow at him and asked, “We've had two kids in a year and a half. What’s your plan?” His cook was no better than his wife. He would never ask Sharma what he wanted to eat. He would just tell him, “I’ve cooked eggplant.”
Sharma’s Netflix debut, I’m Not Done Yet, is sprinkled with confessions, anecdotes and interesting observations. The 54-minute standup special draws heavily from his own life. He says his infamous drunk tweet to Prime Minister Narendra Modi cost him 09 lakh, when he ran away to the Maldives upon finding himself in trouble. In his tweet tagging Modi, he had claimed that he was asked to pay a bribe of 05 lakh by an employee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation “for making his office”.
A man who does not ask for extra chilli flakes on his pizza just to avoid speaking English, Sharma says his relationship with the language is complicated. “It’s like a husband-wife relationship,” he says. “I love her, but I don’t really understand her.” He watches every film twice. The first time he reads the subtitles. The second time, he’ll watch the actors deliver the dialogues.
Sharma is known for his slapstick comedy. His jokes are relatable and they make you laugh, think and feel better. He recounts his own battles with depression and alcoholism, and how he struggled to get help. While debuting on Netflix, Sharma could not help remembering the good old Doordarshan days. He grew up watching Krishi Darshan. It gave him insights on how to protect cotton crops from pests, though he has no land. Speaking of the population explosion in India, he says, “We birth the entire population of Australia every year and send them to Canada.” In his trademark style, he ribs Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Vijay Mallya. “One should learn from Vijay Mallya. You don’t need to go to a bank to loot it,” he says.
In a career spanning 15 years, the 40-year-old has often found himself embroiled in controversy. His mid-air spat with Sunil Grover made headlines. He has been accused of sexism, misogyny, racism and body shaming. His comment that driving on a pothole-ridden road can help a poor, pregnant woman pop out a baby offended the sensibilities of many.
In I’m Not Done Yet, Sharma seems to be aiming for an image makeover. Except for the Covid joke right in the beginning that makes you cringe, Sharma delights us with clean humour. As a standup comedian, Sharma has had a checkered past. He revisits his days of struggle in Mumbai, shares his love story with college sweetheart Ginni Chatrath, and pays a glowing tribute to his late father who never got to see him as a comedian. His story is bound to strike a chord with all those who regret not spending enough time with their parents.
Sharma, who aspired to be a singer, ends the show with a song in English dedicated to his father. His English is good enough to order an extra pizza!