Kapil Sharma solves the wheelchair mystery

On Monday Kapil Sharma was spotted at the Mumbai airport on a wheelchair. Understandably the paparazzi got more excited than usual: a star arrives, and that too in a wheelchair. This is the stuff that makes news.

Even more understandably, Kapil lost his cool when he saw the photographers swooping down on him. So the headlines changed from ‘Kapil Spotted On A Wheelchair’ to ‘Kapil On A Wheelchair Hurls Abuses At the Paparazzi’ when in fact there is no abuse, only recrimination at the violation of privacy.

I connected with Kapil after the incident made headlines, and here is his exact reply: “Hello sir. I am good, bus gym me thorra back injury ho gyi, it will be fine in few days, thank you for the concern regards.”

So that’s it. A back injury suffered in the gym, hence the wheelchair.

This is the Kapil that I know. Always polite, respectful and honest. But if you provoke him he will retaliate, and what is so unusual about that? There are so many times one wants to be left alone specially when one is unwell. I remember Mr Bachchan telling me about the time when the photographers blocked the way when he was being taken to the hospital.

There are certain situations where celebrities must not be treated as special but mere mortals, ill-health being one of those situations. Not every entertainer is as camera-trained as Sara Ali Khan or Taimur Ali Khan. Sara can get her way with photographers with a smile and Namaste. Others are caught on the wrong foot. Let’s not forget at the end of the day they are human beings.