Meet Richa Kapoor and Sumukhi Suresh. They’re Bengaluru’s pride. Laugh-out-loud funny. Bold. Vivacious. And have carved a niche by being the city’s only women comedians. You crack up ever so often in a conversation with them, you can imagine how much funnier they are on stage.
The duo has created quirky and sparklingly humorous sketches, The Adventures of Richa and Sumukhi that deals with everything, from politics to a take on everyday mundane situations and Bollywood to the absurdity of human nature and even mythology. “Our production has six comedy sketches,” explains Richa. “They are a fun take on what happens around us. It is a combination of drama, intelligence and comedy,” says Richa. “We are absolutely unabashed, loud and we’re even cussing on stage…with style,” says Sumukhi, “There’s satire, dance, drama. There’s also a lot of silence. There are some parts where both of us aren’t talking at all.”
Richa and Sumukhi have been working together for close to two years now. “We complement each other,” says Richa, who describes herself as “proud Punjaban”, who is also a trained Kathak dancer and a budding drummer. Sumukhi, on the other hand, is a “Hindi speaking confused Tamilian” who is a trained Kathak dancer, besides being a theatre and improvisational actor.
They do not do sketch and improvisational comedy full time, though. Richa is into academics while Sumukhi is a business development manager. “Going to rehearsals is a breather,” says Richa. “We can’t be our funny selves in our regular spaces. During rehearsals and performances, we can do whatever we want and be as humorous as we wish.”
But the comedy sketches, says Sumukhi, “Is not like a laugh-a-minute. You’ll have a good time, though.” The sketches will also make the audience think. “We had an audience member tell us she didn’t like the fact that she laughed at a particular sketch. She said it made her feel uncomfortable. That was the best feedback, because we wrote the piece for a reaction,” says Sumukhi. Richa agrees and adds, “Our comedy is very reaction based. There is heavy characterisation. At the same time, we are not imitating archetypes. The performance is in English and Hindi, and there is a little bit of Tamil as well.”
The duo’s reputation has extended beyond the boundaries of Bangalore to Mumbai, where they are among the handful women comedians in India to be invited to perform at Vir Das’ Pajama Festival.
The duo doesn’t believe in blowing their own trumpet when it comes to their achievements. It takes a lot of probing and prodding to get them to admit they appeared on Comedy Central on a show hosted by Kenneth Sebastian.
“We didn’t care if we’ll be popular or not. We just had so much fun!” says Sumukhi. “It was a lot of fun. We shot seven episodes in one show!” adds Richa. And the video, Anu Aunty-The Engineering Anthem , based on Varun Agarwal’s novel, going viral on social media. Yes, the stunning Anu Aunty in it is the lovely Sumukhi.
Richa and Sumukhi have keen observational skills, from which stems their sense of humour.
“We have an attention to detail. I get into a zone where I have to mimic. I see the world as something I can imitate,” says Sumukhi. “Wherever I go, I take mental notes. I take the pain of observing simple things, like what someone is wearing.”
The term ‘women comedians’ seems unnecessary to the duo. “Women don’t come out that much.
It is as not as though there are no opportunities for women comedians. There is gendering everywhere. The point is how do you overcome it?
The duo is tired of comments like, ‘For a girl, you are so funny!’ It doesn’t help that there are no reference points. “The only reference point we had is Bharti Singh. She is very intelligent. But she often cracks jokes on her weight!’ says Sumukhi.
And that is what sets Richa and Sumukhi apart, their humour cannot be easily categorised.
The Adventures of Richa and Sumukhi will be performed at Jagriti Theatre, Whitefield, on January 7, at 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at Rs. 300.
