"there’s a difference between real and reel life.”
Sumona Chakravarti has addressed the alleged misogyny on The Kapil Sharma Show.
She also reacted to rumours of a rift with Kapil.
Known for playing Kapil’s wife on the comedy show between 2016 and 2023, Sumona recalled how friends questioned her participation:
According to Sumona, they asked: “How can you do such a misogynistic show?”
Defending the show, she said: “It’s a show! It’s a scripted show!
“What I really believe, and I’ve always told anyone who has questioned me, is that first and foremost, it’s just acting.
“It’s just a TV show. Kapil is not insulting Sumona, there’s a difference.
“There’s a character, Bittu, and his wife, Manju. It’s literally a reflection of what happens in our environment.
“Yes, there’s a responsibility, but that applies to me as an individual in real life.
“If, for example, I get caught shoplifting, of course, that sets a terrible example.
“But people also need to have the common sense to understand that there’s a difference between real and reel life.”
Sumona hasn’t seen The Great Indian Kapil Show yet but insisted there is no rift with Kapil.
She explained: “There was no breakup. We had a wonderful run of 10 years across different networks. Most marriages don’t work for 10 years actually but our onscreen one did.
“Every year, we’d take a break around June-July. We finished our season. I really don’t know.
“The last time we were on Sony, that got done in 2023. Then he went on his US tour. And the next thing I heard was that he was coming on Netflix.
“So honestly, there has been no conversation about that between him and me. It’s not like we picked up the call.”
Despite stating there is no feud, Sumona Chakravarti admitted she is not close to Kapil Sharma “outside of work” and doesn’t miss being on his show.
She said: “I have learnt not to take work home and home to work. I’ve had hard days otherwise.”
However, she said one can’t deny the popularity of Kapil’s show:
“People love it. It will do well because of our audience. It is for the masses.”
“Your regular middle-class household, which is not your Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru. I’m talking about your basic towns, tier-2, tier-3 cities.
“It’s the television, it’s the non-OTT (audience) who still watch.
“I see around me, whether it’s the security guards, the house helps, or even at airports and in flights, people go to YouTube and SonyLIV and still watch the show.
“There have been times when I’ve heard my voice (on a flight), and then I realised okay, someone is watching an episode of mine, or us rather. It’ll always be there.
“I think there’s a certain relatability because what we portrayed is a middle-class couple.”
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