#PastForward: Bengaluru-based Sonu Venugopal charts comedy’s next era

Often drawing on everyday life, childhood memories and regional nuances to craft satire, her sets are not only rooted in authenticity but are relatable and refreshing to every Bengalurean who is a Kannadiga at heart! Bengaluru-based stand-up comedian and digital-content creator, Sonu Venugopal, has carved out a style of her own, which seamlessly bridges Kannada and English and how! But did you know she is also a seasoned radio professional and voice artiste too? That’s right, Sonu has hosted hit shows such as Bollywood Café and City Maatu on a popular FM station and that’s where her journey began.

After working in radio, she began posting comedy content on Instagram, using her signature North Karnataka dialect to create sketches that resonated widely with audiences. The COVID-19 lockdown gave her the impetus to take this more seriously and build an audience online, which helped her transition into stand-up. Her first formal foray into stand-up came through open mic nights and the rest is history!

Toasting to 15 years of Indulge, Sonu sits down with us for a chat, which begins with reminiscing about those who popularised stand-up in the city. “The true OGs who took the first leap professionally were Kanan ( Gill) and Kenny (Sebastian). They remain timeless, constantly reinventing themselves and doing all sorts of exciting things; they really have been foundational figures. And if we speak specifically of Kannada comedy, its legacy is even older — the format may have been different, but some - one like Gangavathi Pranesh is undeniably a crowd favourite, even today,” she begins.

We also nudge her to talk about whom she wants to see more of in stand-up, going forward and her answer doesn’t disappoint. “ I genuinely hope to see more people from diverse backg rounds entering the field. When we tell our story, it remains just that — our story. So, when someone arrives with a fresh perspective, it enriches the space. I would love to see more voices from the queer community entering the comedy scene and sharing their lived experiences, because at its core, this is all storytelling.”

Since the comedy scene took off in Bengaluru and turned into an experience, slowly evolving into ticketed events and giving rise to national OTT specials, we learn how closely Bengaluru as a city has had an effect on the career trajectory of comedians.

“I feel Bengaluru has grown into a miniature version of the world’s great cosmopolitan cities — New York, London or L A. It’s incredibly wholesome and as creators, we can draw so much from it. Initially, our biggest challenge was: how do we persuade people to come watch us live? We already put so much comedy content on social media for free, so what would make someone step out and pay to see us? This prob - lem persists even today, unless we consciously promise audi - ences something new and keep pushing ourselves, as writers and comedians, to create fresh work,” she shares.

Sonu has been a hit and we were naturally curious to know how the city’s audience has been supporting her in popularising regional comedy. “ The essence of regional comedy is that your roots are so strong that people come out to watch you. When I began performing in my dialect ( North Karnataka), it wasn’t even because it was my home language. It’s just that I’ve never been a fan of the regional humour we often see on television or in films: it tends to be extremely slapstick, full of stereotypes and rarely built on well-crafted jokes. But performers like us now have a space for something that’s not basic WhatsApp or AI-level humour,” she elucidates.

But what’s the one thing that this city needs to change? “There’s also this divide within the community: some comedians focus on Instagram content, while others do only stand-up. Among the core stand-up crowd, those who make reels are often not taken seriously — there’s this sense of being a ‘purist.’ But I genuinely don’t think such a thing exists. If you want to experiment with different forms of comedy, why shouldn’t you? Instagram allows me to explore sketch comedy, which I’m not sure I’d ever attempt live. Of course, some people will have an easier time selling tickets because of their digital presence. Audiences gravitate towards familiar, ‘sellable’ faces; that’s just the reality of the landscape. I’m hoping for a much stronger comedy scene — one without labels like regional comic, national comic, English comic or Hindi comic. I just want a unified comedy scene, where comedy is simply comedy,” she reveals.

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