Kapil Sharma: I'm Not Done Yet review: A self-portrait of a mediocre stand-up comedian

Kapil Sharma's stand-up special is more about deliberate storytelling than spontaneous moments.

Pic courtesy: Instagram

Where to watch: Netflix

Director: Saahil Chhabria

Rating: 3/5

Thanks to his phenomenal success as a comedian, Kapil Sharma is a household name.

The comedian`s "what I did with me, myself, my family and friends..." show, `Kapil Sharma: I`m Not Done Yet` streaming on Netflix sketches a self-portrait of a mediocre stand-up comedian behaving like God`s blessed child.

Full of himself and obsessed with his fame and success, this is not a comedy sketch, but a show that focuses on Kapil Sharma, as he essays a spanking-new monologue, so akin to Anupam Kher's stage performance, `Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai`.

Kapil Sharma takes perverse pleasure in his storytelling and cathartic revelations. He spends most of the time on stage ruminating about how he has evolved as a person, his depression and his experience with therapists, and how the glare of the spotlight, the rush of a good performance, and the heartsink of a comic meltdown on stage have made him what he is today -- and that he is not done yet.

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The show's pacing and structure feel more deliberate, with mostly rhetorical punchlines. Kapil's greatest strength is his intimacy with his audience, and jumping right into the action, he shows a side of himself that we`ve never seen -- as a person who loves his art, despite its demanding, capricious nature.

He rambles on, revealing his social media mistakes, taking pot-shots at the country`s Prime Ministers, both past and current, talking about his relationship with his father. And he also ignorantly explains to the audience, with confidence, what "toddy" is.

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There is no novelty factor in his style, tone, and presentation. With a microphone in his hand that restricts his movement, the show appears like a recorded stage performance and not one specially mounted for an audio-visual medium.

The only novelty factor of the show is Kapil`s wife Ginni, who graced the occasion as an audience and, in a carefully crafted performance, answers his questions with grace. Her responses certainly appear prepared and rehearsed. The charm of spontaneity, as a result, is lost.

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Kapil also speaks about his dad and their father-son bonding at length. The highlight of this Stand-up Special is Kapil singing an emotional number in English, a tribute to his father, which ends on a sincere and earnest note.

Kapil Sharma`s fans will find this show worth watching; others will find this clueless entertainment tediously un-funny.