Kapil Sharma shot to fame after winning the comedy reality TV show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2007.

Kapil recalls how his elder brother was married with minimum ostentation. 'During the time when my brother married, I had not started earning well. We just went as a small baraat (wedding procession) and got bhabhi (sister-in-law) home. But by the time my sister got married, I had begun to earn well. So we had a fairly large wedding. It was lavish by our standards.'

Kapil Sharma, who was also a part of Sony's Comedy Circus, went on to host a dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 6.

In 2013, Kapil Sharma launched his own show Comedy Nights with Kapil under his banner K9 Productions on Colors. After the end of Comedy Nights with Kapil, Kapil Sharma signed a contract with Sony TV for a new show called The Kapil Sharma Show.

After garnering a huge fan following with his comedy show, Kapil Sharma took a step ahead and made his Bollywood debut in 2015 with Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon. Though the film didn't work at the Box Office, Kapil tried his hands at acting once again with Firangi in 2017. Sadly, his second film too didn't perform well at the box-office.

Kapil Sharma was born in Amritsar on April 2, 1981. His father, Jeetendra Kumar Punj was a head constable in the Punjab Police, while his mother Janak Rani is a homemaker. Kapil Sharma's father was diagnosed with cancer in 1997 and passed away in 2004 at AIIMS in Delhi. The actor-comedian studied in DAV Public School and later graduated from Khalsa College in Amritsar. Kapil's brother Ashok Kumar Sharma is also a police constable, and they also have a sister - Pooja Pawan. (All photos/mid-day archives, AFP and Kapil Sharma's official Instagram account)

Kapil Sharma got married to his longtime girlfriend Ginni Chatrath on December 12, 2018, in Jalandhar. Opening up on the topic of his marriage, Kapil said, just a few days before his D-Day, 'The wedding is on December 12 in Jalandhar. That's Ginni's hometown. We wanted to keep it low key. But Ginni is the only daughter in her family. Her folks wanted the wedding to be on a lavish scale. And I completely understand their sentiments. My mother also wants the wedding to be lavish.'

Talking about his wedding, Kapil Sharma revealed he did not know the number of guests who had turned up for his wedding ceremony. 'My wedding venue was hustled with approximately 5,000 people, but when I looked around, I could see about 40-50 people only whom I knew personally,' he was quoted as saying in a statement from Sony Entertainment Television.

Kapil Sharma and wife Ginni Chatrath welcomed their first child on December 10, 2019 - a daughter, whom they named Anayra. On January 15, 2020, Kapil shared a glimpse of his daughter on Twitter and wrote - Meet our piece of heart "Anayra Sharma".

Coming back to his professional life, Kapil Sharma went off the radar after two of his shows ended abruptly back-to-back, courtesy, his degrading health. The comedian was on a detox drive and was on a rehab programme at an ayurvedic ashram in Bengaluru.

However, Kapil Sharma bounced back and made a comeback on television in 2019. Post Kapil Sharma's break from showbiz after a string of untoward incidents, he finally decided to make a comeback, hoping to spread happiness and laughter once again.

'People have given a lot of love to me. They used to ask me, 'When is your show coming back?' and they asked the same question to the channel (Sony Entertainment Television) as well. And so, the channel told me, 'Let's make a new season',' Kapil told IANS in a candid chat as he sat down to discuss his life choices and marriage.

In picture: Kapil Sharma with his mother Janak Rani holidaying in London.

'I feel everyone fights someday or the other. We are public figures and that is why our fights make it to the papers. But I feel everyone has fought once in life -- be it within the family, business or workspace. Small-small things keep on happening. But since we are public figures, these things become news in our case,' he said in an interview in early 2019.

In picture: Kapil Sharma with his mother Janak Rani and Sunil Grover at a restaurant.

His drinking habits, temperament, love life, his newly-acquired high-handedness and making his guests wait for long hours - all led to Kapil Sharma's poor PR. It also brought his show Family Time With Kapil Sharma to an abrupt end. 'It is a learning experience. I feel we learn till our last breath. Main 'nalayak' students mein se ek hun toh mein thoda late seekhta hun (I am one of the unintelligent students, so I am a slow learner).'

In picture: Kapil Sharma shared this photo with his mother Janak Rani on the occasion of Mother's Day.

'I hope to make people laugh and I hope for good things,' added Kapil, who was in Delhi to promote his production venture, a Punjabi film, Son of Manjeet Singh, in November 2018. Talking about his break, the actor said, 'I gave an ample amount of time to myself during the break. I am rejuvenated. Now I'm working on my health. I want to get fit now and be back on the small screen.'

In picture: Kapil Sharma and Shah Rukh Khan during the promotions of Dilwale.

Kapil Sharma has learnt his lesson. 'Health is wealth... People don't just say it for the sake of it. It is genuinely true and I have realised that. I didn't give much importance to my health. There was no fixed time to eat for me. But now I will try to focus on my health while working,' he added.

In picture: Kapil Sharma with his mom Janak Rani and Shah Rukh Khan on the sets of his show.

We take a look at some more candid pictures of Kapil Sharma:

Kapil Sharma's fan moment with Aamir Khan at the Dangal success party. He captioned the photo, '#aamirkhan #dangalsuccessparty #Fanmoment' [sic].

Kapil Sharma with Alia Bhatt and Shah Rukh Khan during the promotions of Dear Zindagi.

Kapil Sharma with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan during the promotions of Jazbaa.

When Kapil Sharma made Amitabh Bachchan pout for the camera.

Kapil Sharma with Salman Khan and Anushka Sharma during the promotions of 'Sultan'.

Kapil Sharma with Bollywood's power couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol during the promotions of Shivaay. He captioned the picture, 'My favourite #AjayDevgan and #Kajol celebrating Diwali with us on #TKSS. :))) keep laughing - HAPPY DIWALI [sic]'.

Kapil Sharma with our 'desi girl' Priyanka Chopra on the sets of his show. He wrote alongside the picture, 'Watch our Desi international superstar @priyankachopra on #tkss now .. thanks for coming PC .. love u n always proud of u #SonyTV [sic]'.

Kapil Sharma with the team of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - Anushka Sharma, Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Kapil Sharma with 'Tamasha' co-stars Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor on the sets of his show.

Kapil Sharma with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh during the promotions of Bajirao Mastani.

Hrithik Roshan during the promotions of 'Kaabil' on Kapil Sharma's show.

Kapil Sharma with Akshay Kumar and Shruti Haasan during the promotions of 'Gabbar Is Back'.

Kapil Sharma with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar at an event.

Kapil Sharma with the eternal beauty Rekha. He captioned the picture, 'U can't see anything else when Rekha ji is around.... [sic]'

Kapil Sharma with 'Rangoon' co-stars Kangana Ranaut and Shahid Kapoor on the sets of his TV show.

Kapil Sharma with 'Befikre' co-stars Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor. Kapil captioned the photo, 'Hope your enjoying the fun with my mad family n my mad brother .. super star @ranveersingh n @_vaanikapoor_ #befikre on #tkss'

Kapil Sharma with one of Bollywood's most loved couples - late actor Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor. He captioned the picture, 'The most beautiful n romantic couple on n off screen I hv ever seen. #RishiKapoor Sir n Neetu Kapoor ji. [sic]'

Kapil Sharma with Bobby Deol, Sunny Deol, Sunil Grover and Ali Asgar on the sets of his show.

Kapil Sharma with Soha Ali Khan and Neha Dhupia on the sets of his TV show.

When Kapil Sharma met Elli AvrRam on a flight.

Kapil Sharma with 'Firangi' team - Monica Gill, Ishita Dutta and Gurdas Maan.

Kapil Sharma poses with Baba Ramdev on the sets of his TV show. He captioned the picture, 'Masti with #Babaramdev on #TKSS #SonyTV keep laughing.. n stay happy .. love u all :) [Sic]'

Kapil Sharma imitates Shah Rukh Khan's signature pose along with King Khan himself.

Kapil Sharma with the team members of his show - Kiku Sharda, Ali Asgar, Sunil Grover, Chandan Prabhakar and Sumona Chakravarti.

Kapil Sharma and tennis ace Saina Nehwal on the sets of his TV show.

Kapil Sharma with BFFs Sania Mirza and Farah Khan on the sets of his TV show.

Kapil Sharma's journey from a police constable's son to becoming a famous comedian has indeed been an inspiring one!