Sumukhi Suresh’s day-to-day life looks like a production. On a Tuesday afternoon, when we meet at her home in Bandra, Mumbai, the standup comic is surrounded by seven people in the room. Another 10 are expected soon. It feels like a secret set, but it’s just a regular day in her life: poring over material, getting brand shoots and interviews done, dropping bon mots to set the mood, and between all this, writing an entire episode of something she cannot reveal.
It’s the familiar pace of success. Every moment is chaotic, but Suresh manages to keep it cheerful. Just 36 hours later, she will be on a flight to Los Angeles to perform at ‘Netflix is a Joke’, the streaming platform’s annual comedy festival.
This year, the multi-hyphenate (she’s a stand-up artist, dialogue writer, founder of content company Motor Mouth, and actor) is the only Indian artist on the lineup, performing alongside television greats like Bob Odenkirk and David Letterman as well as YouTube favourite Zarna Garg.
Funny and outspoken, Suresh is a mood. Her humour orbits themes of body image, singlehood, 30-something life, and a lot of self-reflection. Add to it a raw, fearless delivery and there is no way you will not relate to her. From Pushpavalli to her latest standup show, Hoemonal, Suresh is known for dropping hard truths with relatable observations, character-driven storytelling, and often dark, self-deprecating humour. Below, she gives us a bit of all this ahead of her Netflix performance.
Who was the first person to tell you you were funny, and did you believe them?
It was my first ever theatre director in Chennai, V Balakrishnan. He runs Theatre Nisha. I think we were at someone’s engagement when he looked at a gang of people and said, “Sumukhi is going to be a stand-up comedian.” I was like "Eh?”. I didn’t even know what a stand-up comedian was. I remember this very clearly because I was looking at him when he said she’d be a very good stand-up. And here I am.
Who broke the news to you about your selection on the ‘Netflix is a Joke’ lineup?
Kim Sharma, executive vice president at DCA, or as I would say, “CEO of the concept of Sumukhi Suresh”, broke the news to me. I was very excited because the first time I was on the line-up in 2020, the pandemic hit. I was so glad it happened again, but the first thought that came to me was “Oh f*uk, do I need to write new 15 minutes?”
What’s the premise for your set in Los Angeles?
I have some very strange bits and then I have some good bits. One of the premises I’m doing is that as a big girl, no one really treats you like a princess when they date you. They really treat you like a responsible person. Like, you know, they think that you’ll take care of them. I’m a little puppy. And I feel like it’s so sad that big girls don’t get to be little puppies in relationships. So, now I’m exclusively looking to be a sweet little puppy cute.
The lineup looks insane. Whose work are you most excited to watch?
I am super excited to watch Bob Odenkirk’s set. He is inherently good at writing twisted, sad characters with a ray of hope. I missed Anthony Jeselnik in India, so I am 100 per cent watching him. Also because he doesn’t perform like I do. It’s a very different kind of comedy and I really get inspired by different voices. I also want to watch Nikki Glaser because her Good Girl is set to release soon. And I am also looking forward to watching some of the Asian comics, mainly to understand what the other Asians are doing.
You began your career in stand-up early on and have spoken about retiring at 65. Are you on track or are you having too much fun to think about retirement?
I’m not going to retire. Ever. I’m going to die at 65. I think I’ll be performing till the end and hope death comes to me at 65. It’ll be perfect. I will work really hard until 62, and then 62 to 65 I’ll just be inappropriate. Because it will be very close to my death.
You’ve seriously thought about your death?
I hope it’s like a nice fun death—I’m working out too much, so it better not be a fucking physical ailment. It’s like I should go to sleep and bang! I would like to die when I take a breath in. Like, I want my lungs to be expanded.
You’ve written dialogues for Vikramaditya Motwane. How was that? Any other directors on your wishlist?
I have aggressively pursued him and I am so glad that it has worked out. In fact, whenever he wants something, I will write it. Next, I want to pursue Mani Ratnam. It’s my dream to write a Mani Ratnam movie. I don’t know if this will be possible, but I think Mani Ratnam is the guy who can really make a big-girl romance look hot without calling it that. I wish I could write and act in it. It will be my Bridget Jones (from Bridgerton season three) moment. And if make spin-offs of Pushpavalli’s and Vidyut’s characters, I will have take it to him.
What’s the one stereotype about comedians that is painfully true?
That we are slightly sad and depressed. Most of us. If you catch us at around 11 pm or so, we are mostly sad.
