Working in a PCO to going OTT with his own show; A look at Kapil Sharma's journey, net worth and more

Kapil Sharma returns with The Great Indian Kapil Show. He is joined by Sunil Grover, Krushna Abhishek, Archana Puran Singh, Kiku Sharda, and Rajiv Thakur, and if the promos are any indicator, it will be a laugh riot. On his birthday today, let us look back at Kapil Sharma's journey into showbiz.

Based in Amritsar, Kapil was born on April 2, 1981. As a kid, he was never shy. He started his career in theatre in his college days. He also participated in Youth festivals and focused on doing serious professional plays.

In one of the episodes of TKSS, Kapil had shared, "I had also earned Rs 500, you wouldn't believe my first buy was also a Cassette player. I used to love old songs and I didn't want to ask for money from my father so I bought it from my first salary and also bought other things for mom."

While talking to Aaj Tak, Kapil had shared that he did many odd jobs to bring money for survival, he said, "I too have done a lot of odd jobs in the past… I worked in Coca-Cola and then in the STD PCO, which is now defunct as everyone uses mobile phones.., in a garment factory… so I have worked here and there for pocket money. I liked earning for myself with my own pocket money."

Kapil opened up about his first international job offer, "I had gotten a job in Singapore in an Indian restaurant where I had to sing Kishore Kumar's songs and they would pay me Rs 25,000. I was all set for it, I even by-hearted 200 songs of Kishore Kumar. Then I called my mentor and spoke to him about the job. He said, 'You will go to Singapore, spend 20k and save only 5k, instead, I'll find a job for you here for Rs 10,000.' I agreed to that as all I wanted was to work. Circumstances were such that after my father's demise, I had to start working."

Kapil initially wanted to become a singer. When the actor-comedian received his debut film, Abbas Mustan's Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, he cooperated with music director Dr Zeus to record the song Bolle bam bam. With his popularity as a comedian, he also got a chance to sing on the stage and showcase his talent on National TV.

Kapil was denied in the audition round of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in Amritsar but was chosen when he advanced to the Delhi round. What happened next? He won the show in 2007. Kapil used his prize money of ₹10 lakh to cover his sister's engagement ceremony expenses.

That was only the beginning; Kapil later competed in Comedy Circus and won. This led to his own show, Comedy Nights with Kapil, in which he welcomed several Bollywood stars as guests. This is also when he met Sunil Grover, who portrayed the character 'Gutthi' in the episodes. The show catapulted Kapil to fame overnight. Laughter was certain.

The Kapil Sharma Show began airing and became a tremendous success. Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, and Katrina Kaif were among the celebrities who appeared on the show. It became the preferred location for film promotions, and Kapil's star shone brighter than before. He also starred in Firangi (2017), which did not perform well at the box office.

Kapil Sharma: I'm Not Done Yet, his first comedy special, premiered in 2022. In 2017, he discussed suicidal ideas on the show and handled them sensitively and carefully.

The Great Indian Kapil Show represents the actor-comedian's return to his roots. will this mean that his comedy will shift from the relatability of middle-class humour to a slightly more wealthy tone? Only time will tell. But for now, we're looking forward to seeing Kapil's laughs and one-liners with the eclectic mix of guests, which includes members of the Kapoor family (Ranbir, Riddhima, and Neetu), filmmaker Imtiaz Ali, actor-singers Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra, actor Aamir Khan, Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, and batsman Shreyas Iyer.

Kapil is one of the richest and highest-paid comedians in India, with an estimated net worth of around ₹ 280 crore-₹ 300 crore. He costs approximately ₹ 50 lakhs for each episode. According to reports, Kapil Sharma has many luxury vehicles, including a Mercedes-Benz S350, a Range Rover Evoque, a Volvo XC90, and a fancy Vanity Van.