For a decade, Kapil Sharma was the undisputed king of comedy on television. However, his second innings might not be as grand as his debut. According to brand experts, Sharma’s brand value is intact but his brand image has taken a beating over the past few months

“Kapil’s core strengths are his mastery over the craft, his connect with audience, his impromptu-ness, his ability to touch every common man and then some more of his signature traits like mannerisms, language and others. It is not possible for him to lose these even when his tide is low. These are his unique and characteristic brand features which make him brand ‘Kapil Sharma'. However in the last few months, the news of closing down of his show, his failed game show attempt, his unflattering pictures in the media have all taken a toll on his brand image – which clearly needs an overhaul,” said Dimple Gupta, director at Strategic Brand Consultants.

But has his absence from the small screen helped him in anyway? According to experts, it sure has. “He went on a sabbatical when he was at his lowest equity. Since he is starting afresh, expectations from him will be on the lower side but his comeback strategy has to be strong enough to justify the billing that comes from a star like him,” said brand strategist Saurabh Uboweja, CEO at management consulting firm, Brands of Desire.

Apparently, the 37-year-old comic has been the only TV personality who has found place on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list six times in a row. He appeared on the list for the first time in 2012 and, according to sources, makes nothing less than Rs 50 lakh-Rs 70 lakh for a single episode on a television show.

Will it be like his bestseller shows like Comedy Nights with Kapil, The Kapil Sharma Show and others, where advertising rates increased from being in the range of Rs 60,000 to Rs 70, 000 (for 10 seconds) at the start of the show to as much as Rs 2 lakh-Rs 2.5 lakh? No is the answer to start with.

According to Uboweja Sharma, he has to start with a dip but can catch up and build on his rates as and when his shows take off well on television.