BY KAPIL SHARMA
Head of Marketing, 9X Media Pvt. Ltd
What’s in a name? Well sometimes, a lot. A conversation starter, a gender misunderstanding, an e-mail address and a whole lot more. It’s our individual brand which in most cases, was decided on our behalf by someone else. And unlike brands, more than a few of us have the same brand name.
I happen to share a name with someone who has probably been the funniest man on Indian television over three odd years. It’s amazing how his name crops up every time I introduce myself. Whether it’s a security guard at the airport who checks my ID card to conclude - Ek Kapil Sharma TV pe bhi aatay hain...
To the cop who asks me to roll down my car window during the midnight bandobast and declare my name to determine how much alcohol I’ve had. Some of them have even flashed their torch to my face to verify whether I am ‘the’ Kapil Sharma only to sheepishly smile when I tell them, I’m not who you’re
‘looking’ for.
Probably the most interesting conversation I’ve had is with a call centre executive of my cellular phone provider. I had called them for some clarifications and had to reveal my full name, email ID and date
of birth for security purposes. After addressing all my queries, instead of asking me... ‘Do you have any other questions you’d like to ask? ....
the person on the other line said...’Sir, can I ask you a question?’... ‘Kya aap wohi Kapil Sharma hain jo TV pe aatay hain’ I had to break his high note for the day by telling him, nah that’s another guy; we
just happen to share the exact same name. He apologized immediately, not that I took any offense, but I’ve often wondered what he would have said had I said yes, I’m the person you are asking for!
All these incidents have often led me to wonder what ordinary people with the same name as a famous personality go through and how they react to people’s reactions on hearing their name. Do they get offended, amused, disgusted or laugh it off? Is there another Narendra Modi out there whose best friend’s name is or was Arvind Kejriwal? Wouldn’t it be interesting to meet someone named Manmohan Singh and hear him speak? Does the non-cricket playing Virat Kohli wonder at night when he’ll meet his Anoushka Sharma? Is there only one Arnab Goswami in this entire country? The nation would like to know! Or can there be eight panelists on tonight’s show, all of them called Arnab Goswami?
I’m not aware of two very famous personalities, equally successful and well-known in their respective fields or professions, who share the same name. So does that mean there can be only one Amitabh Bachchan and only one Sachin Tendulkar? Can the Sachin Tendulkar of the corporate world hope to become the richest stock trader in the world?
Or, if your namesake beats you to it, is there place for only one? That’s a bit worrisome. All you Mr Kapil Sharmas reading this, someone’s already stolen the spotlight and he’s on TV!
I think I’ve spent too much time pondering. It’s time I got back to work and make a name for myself!
Feedback: kapil.sharma@9xmedia.in
