Sumukhi Suresh, the comic with an adorable on-stage persona and a personality bubblier than a glass of champagne, kicked off Hyderabad’s long weekend in style with her performance at Hyderabadass Comedy Club. From the moment she walked on to the stage, she owned it, and the audience. She went through the room picking on people and once she was done with someone, rather than being offended or embarrassed, she left them wanting for more.
What everyone expected from her was a bunch of fat jokes about herself and probably caricature of a few women issues. But what they got was a total surprise and a hilariously pleasant one at that. She would start talking to someone and come up with a joke — as if it wasn’t prepared at all. When asked about it she said, “I do a lot of improv comedy which really helps me.”
Sumukhi believes in equality for both genders and is someone who has high self-esteem and is not apologetic about it. When asked about body shaming she said, “I don’t like body shaming jokes. In improv there is one rule — you have to make your co-actors look good. You cannot put them down with personal jokes. This is the reason it really irritates me when people stereotype Smriti Irani owing to her big size. She will always be an aunty to people; never mind her flawless diction or her achievements.”
Sumukhi’s story of stumbling upon comedy can actually inspire any aspiring comic. She was dealing with a heart break in Bangalore when she came across an online ad for actors. Having a bit of stage experience, she went for it and found out that it was for an improv show. She went ahead with it and the rest just fell in place. “I take things as they come, I haven’t planned anything,” she says.
Even with wonderful things happening for her career, it’s not like she has stopped facing rejection. “As a comic, it is our biggest insecurity. I face it every time I do a particular set of mine. But when I bomb on stage, I go on stage the very next day and bomb again. This makes me immune to it. It is a time capsule and the sooner you got through it, the better.”
Sumukhi also conducts Improv workshops and will soon be launching her YouTube channel with a series called “Behti Naak”.
Online or in person, if you get a chance to catch her in action, make sure you are nowhere near drinks, because it is guaranteed that you will spill them. If you don’t believe me, ask the person drinking wine during her performance on Friday.
