As a rule, Indian stand-up comedian and actress Sumukhi Suresh doesn’t believe in having a no-go zone. Her trials, triumphs, and her missteps in relationships have always been her biggest source of material for her gigs, but she has learned to draw the line at self-inflicted body shaming.
Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/watch-indian-comedian-sumukhi-suresh-on-fat-shaming-jokes-and-why-sam-bahadur-trumps-animal-1.1702042847710
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Read the full story here: https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/watch-indian-comedian-sumukhi-suresh-on-fat-shaming-jokes-and-why-sam-bahadur-trumps-animal-1.1702042847710
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
Subscribe to Gulf News on YouTube and watch more of our videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/GulfNewsTV
#UAEnews #Indian #comedian
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00:00Did you see Animal, by the way, clearly? Were you taking down notes?
00:04I don't want to see Animal. Why? I don't want to put myself in a bad mood, yo.
00:10You need to tell us. You're the one bringing a girl's night out.
00:14You know, I didn't think that this was a girl's night out until I think for the Delhi show. We
00:18did a show in Dwarka and I think Kusha had come for the show and she'd given us a review. Like
00:24she put the review for the show. Not that we asked but I'm glad she did. And I remember she
00:28put it saying that the show is, I watched the show and then I got so upset that I didn't watch
00:32the show with my girlfriends and I remember asking her saying that so do you think the show is a
00:36girl? She said 100%. She said you got to get your girl gang and then you got to click a boy to come
00:40into it saying and then he'll also be like oh this is a great show or what? So I'm like okay
00:44cool. Yeah, I like that vibe. So honestly, I started saying that because of Kusha, I must say.
00:49Dubai has this institution of girl's night out where you know offers on dining is there
00:53just to make the girls gather and have this communal experience sharing gossip. So I think
00:59this is a great thing. You're just taking it forward, the tradition that's already established
01:03by the way. I love it. I love it already. Is it going to be male bashing? Let's get that out of
01:09the way. Let's address the elephant in the room. I remember, I'm not saying that not that it's
01:13wrong please. I'm a big fan of receiving that. It's a good content but when I was writing
01:19Homo Null or when I was performing Homo Null, I more than about talking about men, I think it
01:24was talking about women. Like I want to talk about myself, I want to talk about my
01:28relationships, my friendships and what is it that, dude the politics for us has changed.
01:34Everything has you know as no one is paying attention to the fact that we are now, we come
01:39from a generation where our mothers were told to behave a certain way and there is a Gen Z
01:45which is also going through very similar struggles. We are taught to grow up and behave
01:51like oh man we got to take care of our household and then we found careers and we found
01:55ourselves and now we're like now? So as much as we're all fighting for feminism and which is
02:01rightfully so, we are also experiencing feminism and understanding what it really means to us
02:08and what these things mean to us. So I honestly, I've just taken after I broke up, I'm a
02:14very wrong relationship. From that time till now, what I have become and how I have, how I'm in a
02:21relationship with myself as well, that's what Homo Null is all about and the whole thing
02:26triggered because I went and got my Hormone profile done. Homo Null is honestly all about
02:31just the time where I started taking care of my body. I went to get my Hormone profile done and
02:38that's pretty much the spiral that started off. Here I am, I want to be a hoe but I'm also
02:44hormonal and yeah it was just I think pretty much the conversation started with that so
02:50it has not that I hate them but it has nothing to do with the men but it's a story about us.
02:56Right.
02:58No, no it's interesting. I'm sure many women and girls will relate to this because often I think
03:03there is you know relationship with narcissists and how to get over one etc. You keep scrolling
03:09through stuff and they are just you know confirming our worst fears. You know as much as I
03:14would love to talk about my 10-year relationship, more than anything I want to talk about what my
03:19relationship has been after that. Boys are boys. Boys will anyway ruin our lives but I'm like why
03:26am I ruining my life? What's the plan? So you know and I because I was in fact yesterday I was
03:32talking to one of my writers and friends she you know I was like I don't know for what I'm
03:36exploring in my show. Am I exploring the concept of masculinity and femininity or am I exploring
03:43the concept of are we ready to live alone? You know have you been taught to live alone? And I
03:49was like which side am I picking and she was very clear to me like no you're talking about both
03:54because honestly like the concept of masculinity and femininity has been a huge conversation in
03:59the way things are happening with me and I've had some interesting revelations for myself and
04:04which leads to me asking myself that okay if these are the decisions I've taken what's the
04:09plan? Have I been given tuition to live alone because I don't think I have been. So these are
04:13the conversations I want to have plus just hilarious dating stories and me growing up. I'm
04:19going to send you a screenshot of Kusha's review that accurately sums up my show. In fact you know
04:25I can perform the show but the summary something Kusha Kabila brought it together. I should thank her for that.
04:31Oh yes of course we'll definitely take that. Did you see Animal by the way clearly?
04:34Were you taking down notes? I don't want to see Animal. Why? I don't want to put myself in a bad
04:40mood here. Also, I don't want to give him money. I you know today I had a I just had a meeting
04:46where I did a reading of one of my scripts and they were like would you give him Animal? I said I
04:49do want to talk about it and they said why? I said because by talking about it I'm giving
04:54ready vanga, vanga ready whatever it is what he wants and I'm like good for him, enjoy, good for
04:59congratulations and I all I aspire is to have the kind of power that he has, the kind of money he
05:05has to maybe make a movie as big as him where I get to reach the masses until then I think I'm just
05:13a complainer so all I aspire is to have his execution power or the kind of support he has
05:22execution wise but I'm not going to watch Animal.
05:27Very good. No, no, no it would give you good energy.
05:29I mean I watched Sam, I really enjoyed it. I'm a big Meghna Gulzar fan. I would love to talk about
05:34that. I genuinely think it was she was she's iconic and I think the fact that she was ready to
05:40release this movie along with him was just I'm like what a buzz, what a gunshot. I loved it.
05:46That's a boss lady move.
05:47Yeah so in fact instead of talking about Animal I would say please watch Sam, it's Meghna Gulzar's
05:51movie and you know you're a comedian how difficult is it to be taken seriously?
05:57I'm not the first person to do this and I don't think I'll be the last one and that's why it's
06:01exciting that you know many more many more of us have to come forward and because I truly
06:07believe that stories that are told by women are also other genders that I don't know of enough
06:12and eventually I will or maybe they would be able to use me as a vessel to you know sort of say
06:17that story but I think women at a given point have so many moods and so many stories and so
06:22many roles going on in their head that if I could capture even three percent of it I have a
06:26fabulous movie so or a fabulous show or a fabulous story to tell and being a comedian I truly think
06:33that a comedian's voice to a story is a very different you know the way you see Saturday
06:38Night Live actors and writers come forward man I want that to happen for us you know like where
06:44here we are with our comedic voices writing a good comedy movie or a show which also has its
06:49elements of drama because I love drama so I the reason why I have chosen to write with strong
06:55female protagonists or flawed female protagonists is because I find it interesting you know it's
07:00not only just a social agenda it's also I want to watch this is what I want to watch like I'm not
07:05joking I don't I mean I don't think it was an agenda as much as I'm like dude Meghna Gulzar
07:11movie with that that's the kind of guts I want I want to live with those guts I'm like dude that's
07:16what I want so it's not actually it's not a deliberate you know thing to seem like that I
07:23think it's also because that's how I see like I get that from my mother because I see her being
07:29the go-getter that she is the kind of the kind of hustle that I just it's really I find it so
07:34exciting when you know when a woman just it's it's more exciting to watch honestly like that's
07:42pretty much and I come from a audience perspective that's the that's the viewer I am.
07:46Did you get triggered with your own material?
07:48I think in my 20s I over I was overthinking it so much that how can I be the perfect partner
07:57that I didn't realize that a relationship takes two I actually don't want to blame anybody in
08:02this situation I just want to be like but this it's an equal footing and I forgot that I think
08:08it comes from my conditioning that you're a caregiver you're a caretaker so that role I took
08:13it so seriously that I didn't have fun I didn't have and I'm not even saying fun in any way I'm
08:18not even saying specifically in a you know in a in a physical way emotionally also there was
08:25there was no fun so like now it's almost like with Homonal I finally if you ask me same is
08:31saying Sumukhi what are you looking for in a partner I have an answer and they're not like I
08:35want tall, dark, handsome I want banter I want fun I want I want I want jokes I want you know like
08:41these are the everyday routine things that I want and loyalty like at the base of everything
08:47the relationship has to have some amount of loyalty for you to be whoever you want to be in
08:51that relationship and this understanding has truly been with how many times I've done with
08:55Homonal, how many women I've met through Homonal with this show and I don't think my
09:00journey is complete it is it's very not cathartic but it's very it is like it's not therapy
09:08actually yeah it is it has been therapy to me because it's really helped me figure out that
09:14there is a you know the fun of life and the fun of romance and the fun of just having a crush as
09:21simple as that like you know and these are the smaller things that I truly have started
09:26appreciating thanks to the show and was there a no-go zone? Comedy is the only space where the
09:30audience is really smart you know audience of course is treated for the fact that you laughed
09:36at the low-hanging jokes but if I can give you a solid thought saying that hey Manjusha this is
09:40where I'm coming from and these are my jokes you will accept you're like you're telling me the
09:44truth don't lie to me because that's what audience also comes with like even if you have lied you
09:49would expect me to be like can you tell me which one you lied I'll be like hey listen this I lied
09:52I'm just letting you know exaggeration is fine exaggeration is the job of comic but my thought or
09:58my intention has always been honest so I think more than no-go I would I like to dig as deep
10:03as possible and I do get into trouble because of that because sometimes it's not needed sometimes
10:09it can be offensive sometimes and emotionally offensive I'm not even saying you know the usual
10:13offense but it's okay if it's triggered you are certainly means that I have struck gold and I'm
10:20still trying to do that with this show so actually I don't have any no-goes as a rule of
10:24comic I'm trying to do that.
10:25Do you think is the self-deprecating humour the toughest to do though?
10:29I believe self-deprecation actually is the easiest that comes to us taking the punches
10:33because that also sort of makes the audience feel safe that they can relate to it and also feel
10:39like no she's not talking about me she's talking about herself so it's a safe net to for them to
10:44be like no I'm not talking about you I'm talking about myself and therefore you can derive
10:48whatever relates you know to you and it's easier for you to laugh and enjoy the conversation
10:53rather than going you can't talk about us like that you know it's and also especially with
10:57girls and I'm talking about myself like I know that if you attack me with whatever Subukhi you
11:02think like this I'll be like no that's not true but if I come and tell you that hey Manusha this
11:06is what I feel what do you feel you will have an open dialogue about it because dude the world
11:10around us is attacking us so we have to we are always our guards are always out yeah so
11:16self-deprecation is the easiest it's the funnest it's the funnest oh I love it I love it but I
11:21mean I must say that there is um this is there's a change from my previous special to now is that
11:26I tried to do um self-deprecating jokes about my physical appearance that doesn't get received
11:32well anymore so I've stopped doing that because girls yeah as a comedian how how much are you
11:38like like you said anything fat shaming or body shaming is color you know it doesn't sit well
11:43anymore right let's not go there I tried I try I still continue to try and do um jokes and
11:49dicks about my appearance appearance and my public show dude the girls don't respond the girls
11:54are like what you're a queen
11:59this is this is a you know like a feedback yeah this is a feedback that I've gotten from
12:05actually Sumera only who watched my show and she said and I did a whole bit on I had a bit on
12:11like how if no one has any small talk they just start you know fat shaming because they're like
12:15oh you're putting on a casual comments yeah so I was with that premise man Manusha it just
12:20didn't fly just didn't fly I don't know why and um and I think she told me she's like it's
12:27because your audience doesn't want to see you like that I'm like oh that's that's a that's a
12:32great thing to say so I mean not that honestly the body shaming and the fat shaming jokes really
12:36work well when I do corporate shows because when I do corporate shows for like you know
12:40stuffy suits yeah yeah they enjoy it so much so for them I write but when I'm doing public shows
12:46I have stopped making derogatory comments on my physical appearance because I think the
12:52audience will not it's not even about woke and I don't even think they're going far there's no
12:58social commentary on it they're immediately going you can't talk about yourself like that
13:01I'm like okay I'm sorry I apologize and I've given that freedom I think to the girls who come
13:06for my show. Are your fans fiercely protective about you is that is that earned over the years?
13:12Yes I think so because now they've gone all DDs on me I realized truly
13:16even the youngest of the fans that you can't speak like that I'm like I'm really sorry I didn't
13:22mean to but it's one of the things that I think I remember saying it in my in my bit in Spoken Fest
13:29is that when girls back you they back you once they're your fans they're your fans they're like
13:33no now we will make you a star who's stopping you but it just it takes some time to get their
13:39you know their loyalty in but once they're in they're in so that's true.
13:43Which was your toughest audience at all do you remember?
13:46Recently I remember there was one Delhi show that I did
13:49where it just didn't work it just the audience it was fine the show was good
13:53everyone had fun I had two Delhi shows so my first Delhi show was very
13:58I didn't feel it I didn't I was not feeling the rhythm I think it's also
14:01I feel that day I wasn't the most honest version of myself on stage so what I have learned from
14:09you know all of this is that I'm clearly a comic who works on impulse so I cannot rehearse myself
14:18too much I'd like to keep the thought as fresh as I can for myself and I think that day I slightly
14:24did the I did injustice by being more rehearsed than impulsive and the lesson that I've learned
14:29from that is that especially before my shows I like to be as fresh and I as clear in my head
14:36as possible and not come with the baggage of the deal which is a honestly every comic's journey
14:40that they need to leave whatever's happening behind and come on stage and be the be their
14:44best funniest self.
14:45Do you have like you know some advice to women comedians?
14:48You know there are practical problems to going to open mics like honestly like I get to go to
14:53an open mic because I live in Mumbai I take care of I'm living by myself you if I was living with
14:58my parents in Nagpur going for an open mic at nine o'clock is impossible like well actually
15:03basic permission problems are there, basic safety problems are there so in fact the advice I
15:07don't have for for women comedians in fact I would like to say that find that wherever you
15:13find an opportunity to do an open mic please do it because you need in fact now it's time it's
15:19time for a new wave it's time for the smaller cities and the girls with their stories man
15:24that's going to be we are we are not ready for the kind of savage and insane comedy that is in
15:29store there so I in fact I don't know if it's advice to them or maybe a note to me or to other
15:35producers that we have to find a safer way to get them to come for open mics and also really a
15:42pandemic as terrible as it was for all of us it really brought out the Zoom shows so I really
15:46hope that Zoom shows and the online shows get more girls to start you know doing like I don't
15:52think we should leave that I think we should still continue doing the online performance
15:56show so that everyone from a smallest of the corner can participate and try out and see if
16:01they have a voice for comedy so that'll be great.