Mukesh Khanna recently opened up about why he has never appeared on Kapil Sharma’s comedy show. He shared that while the show’s producers never approached him, he wouldn’t have accepted even if they had.
In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Mukesh addressed why he never appeared on Kapil Sharma’s comedy show. He mentioned that Kapil never contacted him, possibly due to ego or other reasons, as widely speculated. Khanna recalled how Gufi Paintal had told him about the Ramayan cast being invited to the show and assumed the Mahabharat team might follow. However, Khanna had already decided against participating due to his concerns about the show’s reliance on indecent humor and jokes he considered inappropriate, despite the laughter they often provoke.
The veteran actor reservations about Kapil’s show deepened after watching a promo featuring Ramayan actor Arun Govil. In the clip, Govil was asked an inappropriate question about wearing VIP brand underwear while bathing, which Khanna found highly disrespectful given Govil’s revered image. While Govil handled it calmly, Khanna felt such humor was unacceptable and would not have tolerated it if he were in that situation.
Mukesh was deeply offended by the joke directed at Arun believing it was disrespectful to someone of his stature. He also voiced his discomfort with the show’s humor, which he feels relies heavily on double meanings and inappropriate jokes. For Khanna, the lack of decency in the content makes it unacceptable despite its popularity.
Khanna recounted an incident where he felt ignored by Kapil during an award function. He mentioned sitting next to Kapil after receiving an award for Best Supporting Actor. Despite being seated together for about ten minutes, Kapil didn’t acknowledge him or greet him, which Khanna found discourteous. Drawing a comparison, he noted that even industry veterans like Amitabh Bachchan extend a polite greeting, regardless of whether they’ve worked together. This lack of basic courtesy left Khanna unimpressed.
Mukesh criticised Kapil’s comedy style and expressed relief at not being part of his show. He recalled a comment made by his Mahabharat co-star Gajendra Singh Chauhan, who appeared on the show without him. Chauhan reportedly remarked that Khanna wasn’t invited because the show needed people with a sense of humor. Khanna found this reasoning absurd, pointing out how cricketers who appear on the show are treated with utmost respect without being judged on their humour. He added that such guests are treated like VIPs, as though they’re doing a favor by appearing.