Sudesh Lehri says he’s illiterate, made shoes and sold vegetables for a living: ‘When Archana Puran Singh laughed at me, I made many houses’

Sudhesh Lehri shared the incident that changed his life. He was slapped by a drunkard at a private party which hurt his ego and pushed him to work harder to make his name.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | January 31, 2025 04:26 PM IST

4 min read

Sudesh Lehri shares his struggle story. (Photo: Sudesh Lehri/Instagram)

Sudesh Lehri is among the famous Indian comedians. While he has been in the industry for over two decades, he gained widespread recognition after his participation in the The Great Indian Laughter Challenge Season 8. Over the years, he appeared on various comedy shows including Kapil Sharma’s television shows. He recently appeared on Archana Puran Singh’s YouTube channel, where he shared his journey to success and all the struggles he went through as a child. “A drunkard slapped me mid performance”, shared the comedian.

Speaking with Archana Puran Singh and her family, Sudesh shared, “I have said this several times that I have worked really hard to be where I am today. When I started my career, I struggled so much that I became bankrupt, my house was sold. Everybody laughed at me. But, when Archana Puran Singh laughed at me, I made many houses.”

He also spoke about Archana’s bungalow in Madh Island. He said, “I always doubted whether or not you are rich, but today, it has been confirmed that you are indeed rich. I have seen such homes only in films.”

Listening to Sudesh praise her house, Archana interrupted and said, “I have seen your house on your YouTube channel, you have made such a beautiful house. You even have a home theatre.” Sudesh replies, “I have made home theatre only for Krushna (Abhishek).” When a curious Archana asked, “Why?’ He said, “Because his films don’t release in theatres. He always claims they are in theatres, but I can never find.”

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During their conversation, Sudesh shared, “I have done a lot of hard work when I was young. I have seen poverty. I have worked in small shops, used to make tea, I have worked in several factories, I used to make footwear. I sold vegetables. The rich don’t have to lie, but being poor we often have to lie when money lenders would ask for money. All this worked like an acting course for me.”

Sudesh used to do private shows before attaining fame. He shared the one incident that changed his life. He said, “Once I was doing a show. There was a drunkard there, he randomly came on stage, held me by my collar and slapped me. My mic fell. All my teammates were ready to beat him up, but I stopped them. Later, I was very disappointed. I was like ‘What am I even doing, who are these people, they don’t value talent and art.’ I returned home and told my wife, ‘I am never going to perform at weddings.”

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Sudesh then decided to sell his house and return people’s money. “I wanted to do something of my own. I wanted to create a brand of my own and gain fame. I knew I will only be respected if my build my name. Then I got a show. It became a massive hit. I toured so many places.”

He then lightened the mood by showing off his singing skills. Seeing his talent, Archana shared with her family, “I never believed he was illiterate. I thought he was just joking.”

Later, Sudesh shared, “I have never even been inside a school. Recently, I had to shoot an ad, we had to play school kids. It was the first time that I entered a school.”

Sudesh even shared his wedding story. He said, “My marriage was fixed and people were behind my life to get married. I got frustrated and said ‘Get me married right now, or I won’t do it.’ We had this conversation at 10 am on a Sunday morning, by 12 pm I was married. We tied the knot at a temple.”

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