Kapil Sharma’s Netflix special: I’m (not) done (yet)

If the name Kapil Sharma does not ring a bell, then you’ve been indeed living under a rock. Well, just to refresh your memory, he is one of the most successful and popular comedians in India who rose to fame after winning a comedy show, the laughter challenge, in 2007. After that, he continued to make his mark by winning more such shows and finally, he launched his show called Comedy Nights with Kapil, followed by “The Kapil Sharma Show”.

He currently runs The Kapil Sharma Show, which is a hybrid of a variety and celebrity chat show. However, it is reasonable to assume that when you already have a successful show, you ought to be too busy thinking of ways to improve it further. But that is not the case with Kapil Sharma; as evident from his recently released Netflix Special, I’m not done yet.

So what is the speciality of this “Netflix Special”?

Well, for starters, I’m not done yet is not filmed in the conventional setting in which all his shows has been so far. Instead, this is a stand-up comedy setting, wherein the audience is seated at individual tables like in corporate events.

So, what happens when you put the showman on the stage bereft of any flashy facades or characters of variety show interrupting after every two minutes? Rather you get to see a comedian running the entire show on his shoulders, albeit with pre-prepared one-liners and punchlines that his viewers are oh-so-familiar with.

The comedy special starts with a punchline followed by a Comedy-nights style drum beat, but he instantly turns towards the live band, deterring them not to do that for this show. Hence, this indicates that he is well-aware of the platform and how different it is from TV.

Kapil starts the special by explaining why he is doing it in the first place and elaborates why he agreed on naming it; I’m not done yet. Consequently, he moves on to give little bits of references from Money Heist and Narcos, giving the impression that those bits were forceful additions to highlight the platform (Netflix) through which the special is going to be released.

The first part of the show revolves around him poking fun around generic observations such as how India’s growing population can generate a new country of the size of Australia every year. But as the show progresses, it decidedly becomes more about his life, encompassing his career, personal life and journey so far.

Kapil does not shy away from being upfront and honest about dealing with alcoholism and depression. But, simultaneously, he made sure to add humour to the severity of the situations he has been through so far. For instance, many of the Twitter spats that he had a few years ago includes the tweets against PM Modi. However, he jokingly admits that those drunken tweets were not his but Jack Daniels’ and Johny Walker’s.

He also gives the viewers a chance to peek into his humble beginnings and takes you on a journey from when he came to Mumbai with big dreams. The initial years of struggling include him riding the elevator for the first time to winning a comedy show for the first time.

Throughout the entire show, he referred to his family, who sat in the audience, comprised mainly of his colleagues and middle-aged people- his target audience.

Kapil is a spontaneous comedian who excels at engaging the audience, making him an unusual choice for a set-up that requires rigorous writing.   

“I’m not done yet” is poorly written and does not evoke laughter as indicated by the audience in front of whom he was performing. So apart from cheering and occasional clapping, you wouldn’t hear any laughter from the audience. Now, is that because most of his jokes centred around cultural stereotypes and were unfunny? Well, that’s for you to find out.

All in all, if you are a fan of Kapil Sharma, then you might like watching this show which essentially recounts his several victories so far.