They dominated the Indian comedy web series space with Better Life Foundation and Pushpavalli, travelled together for a considerable part of the year with the sketch show Go Straight Take Left,
and currently are on tour with their stand-up sets.
Going by their 2018 stats, Naveen Richard and Sumukhi Suresh have seemingly become the dynamic duo for comedy in the country. Heralding a change in the comedy scene in the country by switching over from stand up to other genres like sketches and web series, the two are heading back to their roots with their latest tour, Laugh Ok, Please.
Circle of life
Coming back to Coimbatore after his first stand-up show in the city five years ago, homeboy Naveen tells us that life and career have come full circle for him. “I met Sumukhi for the first time three years ago at the Jagriti Theatre in Bengaluru and our sketch— Go Straight Take Left — was filmed there. It’s funny how things work out,” says Naveen. The 28-year-old who was recently in New York mentoring students on sketch comedy reveals that sketches were something that came naturally to him. “I initially started out with theatre and these short vignettes were an obvious progression. But they are difficult to go on tour with since they need costumes, lights and sound equipment. Stand-up sets make for easier travel.” Bringing their show to Chennai and Coimbatore this weekend, Naveen and Sumukhi will be performing individual comedy sets featuring content “that has not yet made it to the internet,” he says, with a laugh.
The more, the merrier
One of the judges on the comedy reality show, Comicstaan, the Coimbatore-born artiste, who won the best mentor award on the show believes that it’s a great time for comedy in India. “I don’t think that the sudden spurt of stand-up shows equals mediocre content. I think it makes for an informed audience.” On the format of the show, where contestants were given a week to create their content, Naveen is of the opinion that stress can make people thrive. Recounting a first-hand experience, he shares, “The last time I was in Coimbatore, I thought my show was a half an hour set. Turned out it was 50 minutes and I had to cram all the jokes I had ever written into that set.”
Heading back to the writer’s desks following their stand-up special, Sumukhi and him are expected to start work on the script for Season 2 of Pushpavalli — a project that could take up to four or five months.
On September 23. At Sitra Auditorium. From 7 pm onwards.