In an exclusive interview with Bombay Times, Sunil Grover talks about his latest war of words with Kapil Sharma and the possibility of a reunion
Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; March 20, 2018)

The weekend saw another war of words between Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover (aka Gutthi) on Twitter. It all started when Sunil responded to a fan’s tweet, saying he was not doing Kapil’s upcoming comedy show because he hadn’t been approached for it. This did not go down well with Kapil, who accused Sunil of lying. Kapil claimed that he had approached Sunil a number of times in the past, but in vain. This led to a series of tweets between the two, which made it evident that things are still not well between them. Sunil and Kapil had their first fallout in March 2017 on a flight. The tiff was so ugly, that Sunil walked out of Kapil’s show, which he was a part of. Though Kapil tried to make amends, the rift remained. Following their latest spat, BT got in touch with Sunil, who spoke about his current equation with Kapil and their once-strong friendship going kaput. Excerpts...

Just when Kapil Sharma is set to return to TV with a new comedy show, you have had another fallout with him. This time around, people feel that it’s a publicity stunt on your part. Your views?
People can think whatever they want to, but that’s not true. As soon as the promos of Kapil’s show went on air, I was flooded with messages asking if I was going to work with him again. I did not respond initially, but later, I felt that my fans and viewers deserve an answer. That’s when I responded saying that I never got a call to be on his show.

But Kapil has accused you of lying. He says that he has approached you many times and even visited you twice, pleading with you to be back on his show...
Kapil is very creative and he can make a comedy out of any situation. He is a good comedian, I am not as good as him. Having said that, when we worked together, we had a good understanding. It’s only after the mid-air fight that I decided to opt out of his show. I have always maintained silence and never spoke about it to anyone. I agree that after that incident, he did send two people from his team to my house and they asked me many times to rejoin his show, but I was not interested that time. My clarification on Twitter was about him not inviting me for his upcoming show and that’s true.

Obviously, since you have already refused him many times, he must have assumed that you would not want to be a part of his team. Would you have said ‘yes’ had he invited you?
That’s true, but a lot of time has passed since then. I don’t know what my answer would have been; that’s too hypothetical for now. The fact is, his team did not make an offer. I had walked out then because I didn’t like what happened, but things would probably have been different had he approached me now. I haven’t done anything on television in the past two years, so I am looking for good opportunities. Now that Kapil and his team have not offered me anything, I am in the process of working on a different project.

Do you miss your friendship with Kapil?
I think it's all destiny. Jo babaji karenge theek karenge. We are both doing well in life, and in the future too, we will do well in life. I just wish him well and I might sound like a saint, but I really want his show to do well.

Many members of Kapil's team left him and found another comedy show, The Drama Company. You were also invited, but you did not want to be a part of it. The show, however did not do as well as Kapil’s show. Do you feel Kapil has a stronger grip over comedy given that his shows have clicked more?
I haven’t watched much TV in the last year, but whatever people are doing or trying to do in the comedy genre is very good. It’s not easy to write those scripts and execute them. Kapil is good and that’s why his shows have worked well. I did not want to be a part of that show because I was not in the frame of mind.

In your tweet on Sunday morning, you asked Kapil to take care of his health, saying that God has given us only one liver and two kidneys. Do you feel that you are stretching it too far?
I just want Kapil to look after his health. Now what people conclude of this is up to them. I was his colleague and I think itna bolna toh banta hai.