Kapil Sharma, I am not a stalker!!!- Hira Mehta

Laughter is the best medicine-who ever said that. Some might say that laughter is a medicine to hide a hurt, some say it frees me from sadness, some say it is an exercise to keep happy. So let me think this through. I got it.. Laughter is Kapil Sharma and his team for me and my infection has not been cured yet..................... and hey, I don't want a cure. I want to be infected more.. so waiting now for The Kapil Sharma Show.....

but I am not a stalker.....just a genuine fan of the show because that's the only show that brings a smile to my face...I have tried watched other laughter shows (need I name) while Kapil Sharma has been off air, but they are so so dumb and silly ...that I might just die laughing (and by that I being sarcastic).....

I have not missed a single episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil show of course..........but then let me also count how many times have I got truly infected in person. In the audience for episodes starting with Farah Khan, Shekhar Suman/Adhyayen Suman, Shilpa Shetty & Raj Kundra/Harman Baweja, Sonakshi Sinha in the awesome deep orange outfil ( and hey,I asked a question too), Karishma Kapoor & Armaan Malik, Rekha, Ranbir Kapoor/Deepika for Tamasha........ Salman Khan (love the guy) /Nawazuddin Siddique (such a down to earth person)....I recall raising my hand to say I would be happy to call Salmaan Khan "bhaisaheb" to much laughter and ribbing by Kapil Sharma.....and why not cause I am not a giddy headed person who loves a particular star....anyone that entertains becomes my favourite......... and then what can I say about the awesome Shamitabh episode with Amitabh Bachchan/Dhanush/Akshara (Yes,I ran on stage to dance with Mr. Bachchan too). You may ask how I managed to be there so many times. Well, I'm not telling.... but where there is determination there is a way....... My only regret is not being able to be there for the ABCD2 episode to see my absolute favourite dancing stars (by the way ABCD is that one film that I have seen first day first show all alone in a theatre...and by all alone I really mean in all my growing up and present years and  yes I cried tears of joy at every dance performance (damn those 3D glasses) ..... 

Each time has been something more memorable than the other....and what's more surprising is that I never got that photo with Kapil Sharma too (except for the TV grab)....not once in all the times I went there..........So much energy on the sets....Kapil would come out and play drums sometimes...sing his favourite "mere mehboob kayamat hogi" (goosebumps) and talk to audience...and sometimes even give a dose in good jest to audience if they tried his patience .. My friends teased me that I was stalking him each time I landed there....... but no way, because watching Kapil and his team in person was like being a part of the Sharma family and besides there was so much more laughter to experience and so much more footage to see performed live on the sets than that which gets edited into a capsule for TV......  after all there is nothing more breathless than watching a live performance....

Let me share some moments I remember....The first episode that I was to attend was the Sonu Nigam one and there I was all excited and ready to leave when I get a message that its cancelled.....totally disappointed only to realise later that a fire had burnt down the set......but there I was at the first episode with Farah Khan and even got a photo with Dadi and Bua...... And then there was that episode when the pyros shot up in the air as Rekha entered onto the stage and break..some sound issues ...again the stage was cleared up and once again fanfare, entry and not again, I thought, again problem with her mike sound...flurry on sets...much discussion.... and I scream out to the production person "it's the lapel mike sound against the huge gold chocker around her neck"...back again fanfare and this time Rekha enters with a hand mike and the episode gets on way...but damn it took twelve hours to shoot as they recorded two back to back episodes with her....  Farah Khan episode was where I got to ask a question but it was edited out.....but I managed that in the Sonakshi Sinha episode where I got to debate with Kapil on the benefits of marriage....interesting and funny ....  and then how can I forget standing bang next to Ranbir Kapoor in the opening sequence of his episode where I dropped a coin in his hand...(want a grab of that but can't find the episode on youtube ...anyone???)....of course nothing can compare to a dream come true that remains with you for a lifetime....so what if I have seen Mr. Bachchan up front at my bank, shooting for the commercial as brand ambassador or getting a personalised autograph in his autobiographical  book  on my 50th birthday (thanks to my sister who designed his book "To be or Not to Be") .....though nothing can compare to grabbing the opportunity to be on stage to dance with the God himself.. and I did.. and that warm hug after the sequence ....just an icing on the cake ....

So what if it took hours before the actual shoot started hours later.....For me long hours on the set was not just pure fun observation time but most importantly when you are sitting there you realise and appreciate the amount of  hard work that goes behind each episode of just 50 minutes to reach our TV screens....... that itself was a big learning for a filmy keeda like me. 

And now team Kapil embarks on a new journey with The Kapil Sharma Show as I wait with bated breath to find a way to get there on the sets again to watch them perform .....waiting for them to give us the audience doses of laughter...Hats off Kapil Sharma for you are indeed my weekend dose of happiness ....

Laughter is the best medicine- who ever said that!!

Laughter is the best medicine- who ever said that. Some might say that laughter is a medicine to hide a hurt, some will say it frees me from sadness, some say it is an exercise to keep happy. Some fake it at social events.

So let me think this through. No one feels like laughing when they lose their spouse or job, no one sees the humour when someone is shown the door or when a relationship fails or when life throws you a bad curve.  Then how can it be a medicine. Such a myth isn’t it? Think about it. When did you last feel like laughing at such misfortunes? If you did laugh then it lasts only for a small window of time till those thoughts come rushing back. Laughter is simply is a means of distracting oneself at that time, that moment and then back to square one….but then there is the flip side to this medicine.  I for one can laugh at anything even myself and that I learnt from my late mom. My Mom never failed to see humour in anything. Walking down to the market with her was a humorous day as she could find something to laugh at. Some might say laughing at someone else’s expense is bad- how rude, but we laugh because mom taught us to laugh at ourselves and to make others laugh. I remember that day when we, sisters and cousin brother were sitting at her 'death' prayers in the fire temple when a young boy came in to pray and our eyes watched this gawky boy as he walked around praying..... and then it happened. Instead of touching each foot of God's photo, he spreads his index and middle finger and places one each at the feet and we burst into laughter and my cousin says “if Mami had been here she would be killing it laughing”.

Laughter is good and happy memories that sometimes burst forth. It is free fun and probably the best way to be de-stress. It is totally contagious and you can never escape that smile.  Laughter will definitely not remove the pain but it will lighten the burden if you let it.  You can’t feel anxious, angry, or sad when you’re laughing because it’s coming from the heart and not forced. People swear by its positive health effects and there are laughter clubs today making it truly the best medicine and I agree that there is a great deal of positivity in that thought.  So while it’s clear that some events are truly sad and not occasions to break into laughter, there are on the other hand, indeed some that deserve a dose of laughter medicine. There will be loads of those who can’t see humour in what you see. Think of those times when you are watching a movie and people around you are laughing hysterically and you are thinking “what’s so funny about that”. And it’s not like you can’t enjoy a good laugh but at that moment it just revolts you. You know, I have faced that myself and analyzed that situation and have realised that most times I don’t laugh in a movie it is because I am not in a mood to or tired, or had a hard day and just not relaxed enough or genuinely just can’t appreciate the humour. It’s just “ME” in that moment.  After all, we are all different anyways and we all laugh at different things, for different reasons or at different situations, don’t we?  So don’t carry that overpowering feeling of sadness or too much of pretend happiness....... after all it your life. Laugh only because you want to, when you want to, however loud you want.  It reminds me of a song from Mary Poppins "I love to laugh" that goes :

I love to laugh

It's getting worse every year

The more I laugh, the more I fill with glee

And the more the glee

The more I'm a merrier me

.......It is plain and simple. Laughter is a medicine for you to use. It is your choice when and where to use it. 

Fitness...living it king-size

I have always wondered what the future will hold for if I continue living the life the way you do. Things are not the same anymore, right from the way people behave with each other, towards nature, the food chain, even the air we breathe. As for me I am just a few years, if not a few minutes, from disaster. I have thrown away the key and closed my eyes to worrying if I will live through the next day. Why? Simple I am living life king size each day!!

All around me people are pumping away their physical self and even their diet is causing the food chain to worry about their own existence. There are of course others who just lack the drive, ahem a bit like me, not really caring when a film star turned size 0 or 6 packs. Mujhe kya karna hai..as if Karan Johar or Abbas Mastaan or Sohail Khan are  waiting around the corner to sign me on with Amitabh Bachchan…(kaash!!!)..

Anyways, it may seem a bit silly to most as to why I don’t care as all around us the war cry of “staying healthy and fit” rings. Pray, why ? for what? After all its just this one life na…Char din ki zindagani...and besides these days I am singing “Teri hai zameen, tera aasma..tu joh chahe toh hame rakhe..tu chahe toh hame mare…..so is worrying going to help…Yeah yeah, I know if I take care of myself then I can live a healthy life and maybe live longer and not suffer…..is anyone out there giving me a guarantee??? No na, so then why can’t I believe that if you have the will to live, the will to be happy, the will to do good for others then the body is healthier than any of those you put posters up in your room.. Can I then counsel others to make their life more fulfilling? Is this the question also ringing in your mind, then it’s time for  Ma Hira  to guide you? Hey who said I have to practice what I preach. Preaching is an art and not many can do that remember. I can always preach but not practice. So lets take this one step at time. Taking the first step is always the toughest and giving up? That’s easy. So do I exercise..yes..I went for Shaimak Davar classes for over 14 years and enjoyed every class..made new friends…loose weight?  Nahin re..that did not happen at all. Naturally because I was in the highest of spirits and happy…So  do I jog? Of course, each day 5 miles...in my dreams of course!!!!..Forget about how many minutes of exercise people tell you that you need and just fit in as much as you can into your day. It’s your body and your heart and no matter how you get it, whether by just sweeping the house or watching television, aarey believe me, any physical activity will help de-stress, burn those unwanted calories, and will definitely make the heart race like a big drum…pant pant pant….…Sleep well because it’s proven that that lack of sleep increases hunger pangs and trigger overeating. On the other hand, leave the eating of nutritious meals once in a while with the family over fun conversations about each other’s boring boring daily routines. Okay that does it..enough about the healthy lifestyle gyaan… Let me share what makes me tick and stay upbeat and content. Its finding happiness in achievements of others, it’s all about laughter, positivity and being there for my dear ones be it friend or family always in whatever they want to do. I am happy when my husband sings on stage, I am happy when my friends come with me to encourage him, I am happy when a friend gets a big role in a film or serial, I am happy when someone achieves something they wished for. Even thought I am still struggling with starting a second innings and no one is helping!!! hmmmm! So be it. The key to good health is simple..finding happiness in every little moment of your life..Most importantly, whenever with friends, don’t be afraid to laugh out loud. Who cares if those sitting on the tables around you give you the “you manner less people” look.  Obviously they have not yet learnt to laugh or live life or don’t have mad friends like I do.  Hastu ha,lifestylesr daam..khushiyan ya gam.. Remember the saying “two men looked out of the prison window. One saw mud the other saw stars”.  So if you are already doing that..yeah and more power to you! If not, then why wait? Spread the smiles and watch them come back right at you!! Death will come but once. Life is a breeze..blow along!!