Indian comedienne tells us why commentating on dating sets her apart ... and more

Long before Netflix hit Baby Reindeer made waves for flipping the stalker narrative, Sumukhi Suresh was already there — turning the trope on its head with her cult comedy series, Pushpavalli.

- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan

Bold, biting, and brilliantly awkward, Sumukhi has always found humour in the uncomfortable, whether it’s toxic romance, hormonal chaos, or the quiet panic of being single in your 30s.

Ahead of her Dubai show on Saturday, the comedian-actor opened up about performing in an age of offence, navigating life surrounded by sculpted torsos, and why she’s perfectly content being the Harsha Bhogle of dating (more on that later).

In this laugh-out-loud, yet deeply personal conversation, Sumukhi proves once again that there’s power — and punchlines — in telling your truth.

Being a comedienne comes with a lot of landmines in today’s landscape where everyone is easily offended. Are you afraid of being cancelled?

Yes, of course the fear is there. Offence is so unpredictable — you never know what might set someone off. That’s why I try to be mindful. My current show is largely personal; the jokes are mostly on me, so people, thankfully, forget to take offence. No one can say, “How dare she say that about us?” It’s more like, “Why is she saying that about herself?” Then they just end up feeling bad for me!

But I'll be honest — I want to last in this industry. I want to leave a legacy. And if that means I have to be strategic, I will be. I'm saying all this now, but one day I could say something and boom, that’s it. So I try to stay aware, but you can’t plan for it.

You're often the punchline in your own jokes. Isn’t that exhausting?