Not just for laughs

Sharul Channa (centre) during one of her plays

By Varad Diwate

Few people like offending others, while even fewer can get away with it. Comedians enjoy more leeway in this matter. “I love offending people. A few people in the audience are going to be offended depending on the topic I’m commenting on,” says stand-up comedian Sharul Channa, adding, “Some people stand in the first row just to get teased.”
The Singapore-based comedian has been performing across India for a while. Previously, she has presented her acts in Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Australia and the US, either headlining acts or at open-mic comedy spots. She has also been a part of the all-female stand-up troupe, Comedy on Heels, at the Canvas Laugh Factory, Mumbai.
Stand-up comedy material emerges from phases and events in a comedian’s life, Channa says. Her topics of interest include social issues, relationships, stigmas and world news. These topics rise from her experiences as a woman of Indian origin living in Singapore.
Channa has always been aware of her acting skills from her theatre stints in Singapore. She has worked in a number of plays, including Lysistrata (2004), Rainbow’s Ending (2004), Pan Island Expressway (2005) and The Summer of The Eclipse (2006).
However, it was not until later that she realised her comic prowess. “I always played comic roles. People said I had good timing and a sense of humor,” says the comedian. She started doing stand-up shows at Singapore’s comedy room, Comedy Masala, in 2011.
Channa is one of the few South Asian women in comedy. “South Asian women are taught to be demure and soft-spoken. However, you have to be assertive in this male-dominated field to network and seek feedback. It’s not the easiest thing in the world,” she says.
She prepares about half the material off-stage, while the rest emerges from interacting with the audience. “Stand-up comedy is like a game of tennis. Without audience interaction, it’ll just be a theatre show,” she says.
As an international performer, Channa is aware of varying audience tastes in different countries and even cities within the same country. Most of her material written in Singapore is adapted to an international audience. “I believe humour and music are universal. People everywhere love local humour. So, I try to add local flavour to my international material based on general topics,” she says.
Channa does not refrain from commenting on topics she is interested in. “Comedians are not meant to self-censor. They should mirror realities of the society,” she says. Is any topic off-bounds for a stand-up comedian? “Rape is something I would not joke about. It is a very sensitive issue. Though Western comedians have joked about it, it is not something I am personally comfortable with,” she says.
She adds that she avoids making jokes on problems in a particular city or a country as people would then see her as a foreigner pointing out problems in their place.
Her dream project would entail working on a stand-up comedy series on the lines of Louis CK and Ellen Degeneres. “I would also like to see and promote more women in stand-up comedy,” she says.