Sharul Channa has been a full-time stand-up comedian for the last 11 years. Born in India, her parents moved to Singapore when she was only three months old, a decision, Sharul says she is glad they took for that helped her to “not buy into the patriarchy. I’m glad my parents kept me away from that. So, I’ve come back completely genderless. And that allows me to jump on the stage in India, without any inhibitions.” Sharul has performed all over Asia and Australia, and is Singapore’s leading female stand-up comedian. She has used comedy to shed light on important, and sometimes neglected, social issues. With her India Tour, the artiste is bringing Just Joking! It’s for the audience to now decide if Sharul is just joking (or not) when she takes the stage. Here’s all that she told us ahead of her show.
What does it take to be a female comic in a field that is primarily dominated by men?
I think it takes a lot of guts. It takes hard work. It takes persistence. And I think women comics need to push harder, at least for the first three to four years. But the moment they break through, they get the opportunities that even the men don't get. So it's really about being resilient and waiting for the right opportunity.
How did you start doing stand-up comedy?
I'm trained in acting from LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore. After becoming an actor, I was looking for opportunities in Singapore itself. I was teaching speech and drama, and the new wave of stand-up comedy had just started in Singapore. I was once outside the open mic, and the owner said, ‘There are no women doing it, Sharul! Like there are no Singaporean women, can you please jump up for three minutes? Just do something, we need representation.’ I obliged, went up and I got laughs within the first 50 seconds. I just knew in that moment that I wanted to be my own writer, my own actor, my own performer, my own producer, my own director. In stand-up comedy, the harder you work, the more jokes you can write, the more open mics you hit, the better your career graph gets. You don't have to wait for someone. It’s not like a play or a movie where you need an entire team for it to happen. It’s a solo act. So that gives me a lot of independence and confidence.
Through your sets, you speak a lot on gender, race and women issues. Is this a conscious choice?
Yes, it is a conscious choice because as a woman, I have been through a lot of prejudice myself. I have a lot of women peers in different industries who have been through a lot of prejudice, or a lot of female bashing sometimes, or sometimes lack of opportunities. So because I hear all their stories, I like to talk about issues that are close to women, that affect women, that can influence other women to do better for themselves, and help liberate them. If I have a mic and a voice, it's my responsibility to make sure that I help unlock in other women what I've tried to unlock for myself.
Why do you think there aren't many women in stand-up comedy? And the ones there are, why do you think they're usually not considered funny enough?
I don’t think that Asian men, specifically Indian men, like to see or speak to a funny woman. I think women are not encouraged to be funny. They’re encouraged to be pretty, they’re encouraged to be coy, they’re maybe even encouraged to be sometimes smart. But they’re supposed to stay within the boundaries of society’s perception of how a woman should be. But I think that, because this is the case, we need to push harder. We need to make sure that we ourselves write better jokes, perform well, so that we change one mind at a time, one perception at a time, which is why this is important you speaking to me, and asking me this question and me giving the response is important to reach out to many more people who come and make a decision for themselves.
We’ve all heard of instances where comic artistes have had to either apologise for their jokes or cancel their shows. In your opinion, when does a joke become too much to handle? And who draws that line?
Well, I think every city or every country has their own, markers, where you’re not allowed to say certain things about certain topics. For example, in India right now, you can’t say anything about religion. People don’t want to hear anything against religion, or even a joke which is harmless. So I think that unless it’s absolutely necessary, or you have a good joke, or it’s a matter close to your heart, you don’t want to create the wrong kind of hype. You want to become famous for your jokes, for speaking your mind, and not for creating jokes on a topic that is going to create unnecessary theory and fame, which will lead to more problems for you. There is no denying that some artistes do it for the effect. So I think we have to be mindful. Unless you are really someone who’s into writing political humour, it's not necessary.
Despite the odds (in popular belief) of gender colour and origin, what kept you going to get on stage and say what you want?
I think I got a lot of encouragement from women. Whenever I’ve performed, a lot of women come up to me and say, ‘Thank you so much for speaking to us, talking about us. And also reaching out to us when you say, whatever you say on stage.’ So there’s a lot of encouragement and a lot of love. There is a lot of camaraderie, which keeps me going.
You’re Singapore’s most famous female comic? How did you manage to click and make it work?
I just kept going, I didn’t stop. I kept working hard. It was not an easy journey. But I kept pushing and pushing. I kept jumping up on stage, trying out jokes, writing jokes, sometimes watching other comics to see what style they are adopting. But you really have to find your own voice.
My father is an immigrant, he moved from Delhi to Singapore as a chef when I was only three months old. I saw how my parents made a living in a country that was not theirs and then made it their own. So I think I get that from my dad, and my mom. I’m a risk taker. I take many risks on stage as well. And I think it’s important that you don’t stay stagnant in any career. I like the fluidity of my career.
Do you think you would have been able to do well as a comic artiste in India?
If I were in India, I think my upbringing would have been very different. I’m very happy that my parents moved at that time. But they also kept bringing us back to India every year, because I got to know and learn so much about the culture, religion and society in general. I honestly feel that this is the right time to come back to India to perform, because I think India has a vibrant scene. It has the ability to give you a lot of love as well. I’m glad I had left India back when my parents moved because I did not sort of buy into the patriarchy. I’m so glad my parents kept me away from that. So I’ve come back completely genderless. And that’s why I think it allows me to jump on the stage in India, without any inhibitions or thinking that I’m a woman, can I make people laugh? I love India as a country and I am hoping that India accepts me.
How has the stand-up comedy scene grown or changed?
I think it has changed differently in different countries. Specifically in Asia, I think it sort of had a boom when Russell Peters made it big around the world. I think social media has also helped more and more people choose stand-up comedy as a source of entertainment. They wanted to have a good laugh. They see comedians as cool entities. I just hope that stand-up comedy does not become a social media game, because eventually, stand-up comedy is a live art form. So people should enjoy it live.
Does stand-up comedy have a grammar?
At the end of the day, no matter what style you use, the bottom line is you have to be funny. That’s the beauty of stand-up comedy. No one style is the way to go. You could be a one-line comedian, or you could be a storyteller comedian. You could be a slapstick kind of comedian. You could be a comedian who uses dry humour. There’s no one style. There’s no fixed grammar. You create your own grammar as you go along. But if you stick to your style, eventually your audience will come looking for you.
Tickets start at Rs 399.
January 19, 8 pm & January 20, 8.30 pm.
At Medai - The Stage, Alwarpet.
Email: rupam@newindianexpress.com
X: @rupsjain
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