Two to tickle

Gagged! That’s exactly what happens when comedians Krishna and Sudesh Lehri hit the stage with their punches. But before they reel off with their comic capers,the one question that’s been gnawing everyone is ‘why is Sudesh missing in action?’ “That’s because I’ve been busy with filmmaker Anees Bazmi’s next film,Ready with Salman Khan,” says Sudesh as he and Krishna take a seat at Hotel Western Court in Panchkula.

Here for a show,the two confess that they are incomplete without each other. “When it comes to comedy,I have to have Sudesh by my side. He has taught me everything in this field,” says Krishna. While the two have been three time winners of Comedy Circus and are hot favourite of the channel and audience,they feel comedy needs to take a break. “At least the artists need it. It’s very difficult to come up with 15 minute scripts,rehearse them over and over,hunt for new characters and put life into them,and it has been possible with our writers,Raj Shandiliya,Dharampal Thakur and Bharat Kukreti,” says Krishna. Speaking of characters,it’s this search for something new that brought out memorable performances from the duo. “Sudeshji mimicked Surinder and I exaggerated the same on the stage,then there is Jeetooji,Billo and Dolly,” they laugh. Just like the stumbled upon characters by chance,they were paired by chance for Comedy Circus about three years back. “I was initially partnered with Chandan Prabhakar while Sudeshji was with Dilip Joshi. It so happened that a week before the show,both Chandan and Dilip backed out and we were paired eventually!” tells Krishna adding how it’s a coincidence that he came third in dance show Nach Baliye at that time and Sudesh too came third in Laughter Challenge. “We are third class people,” Sudesh cracks up.

While Krishna is now focusing his energies on Jhalak Dikhla Ja,a dance reality show,Sudesh wants to do films. “Any substantial role,not necessarily comedy,but films it is,” he says,consciously taking a break from comedy. “Because it’s a draining experience. Sometimes,we have to shoot cheat shows without the audience and judges and it’s difficult,and there are times we are too exhausted to even say our lines! Once Krishna fell asleep on stage and we had immediately improvise it,” he says.

Stand-up comedy has changed over the years. It’s no longer talking,but performing and enacting. Even as they take a break from laughs,they promise they will be back.

The evening saw Krishna and Sudesh at their best with gags and quips as they tickled the audience with,‘Santa and Banta Celebrate Christmas in Funjabi Style’ organised by Dare Club at the Indradhanush Auditorium in Panchkula. The event also saw a Sufi performance by singer Hans Raj Hans.