Sumaira Shaikh talks about her hometown Dongri and the comic wisdom of women writers

Mumbai-based comedienne Sumaira Shaikh is on a high after the release of her first hour-long comedy special, ‘Dongri Danger' (2022). It was well-received for its poignant humour which really spoke to viewers. "A lot of people have related to it because ‘Dongri Danger' has me talking about grief and my brother passing away," she says. After watching it, many reached out to her saying how they had connected to it on a deeper level beyond the laughs. "I think it was the highest praise for me about the special," she adds.

Shaikh's special, which is named after Dongri, a place she calls home, had once been infamous for criminal activities. That perception of the locality has stuck. "The misconception about Dongri is that people are dying on the roads. Like, when I was doing an interview for ‘Dongri Danger', there were one or two people who asked me ‘Toh phir aapne bachpan se bohot violence dekha hoga'. No, that's not true. It is perfectly normal," she says, with a laugh.

"You can see violence or bad people anywhere. You don't have to belong to a place. Of course, Dongri being Dongri has a rich history but now, nothing happens and it is just a normal place."

Performing live
The Mumbaikar, who has been in the stand-up scene for the last seven years, is focusing her energy on doing more work. She is currently creating a fictitious hour-long special with fellow comedian Sumukhi Suresh. She is simultaneously writing a movie and working on more stand-up material, which she had missed performing in front of larger live audiences.

She recently got behind the mic on a big stage at the Mahalaxmi lawns for the Bacardi NH7 Weekender music festival, which was previously run by the entertainment company Only Much Louder (OML) but is now handled by esports company NODWIN Gaming. So, how does it feel to be back on stage after two years of virus closures? "It feels great because the pandemic didn't allow us to perform live and we had to perform on Zoom," says the 27-year-old. She wants the scene to go back properly to the way it had been before Covid-19 hit.

Her excitement about performing live is palpable, especially in Mumbai which is, unsurprisingly, her favourite city. "I am going to be biased because I am from Mumbai. If Mumbaikars don't like your performance, they are patient and will still listen to you." However, over the years, she has developed a liking for another city. "When I was touring, Surat really amazed me. I was truly taken aback by the amount of people who turned up for the show and the way they reacted to every joke. I want to definitely go to perform in Surat soon," she adds.

Having spent a good amount of time in the industry now, the Mumbaikar says the way the audience reacts to a female comedian is also now changing. "I think when female comics are on stage, the initial attention is more because it's like ‘oh, female'. In fact, it has gotten better in the years that I have been doing comedy because there are more female comics now who go and take the stage." However, she says the audience's reaction also depends on one's jokes. While it takes time for the audience to get used to a female comedian on stage, they do want to hear what they have to say now.

The female gaze
Ever since she started performing on stage, Shaikh, a psychology graduate-turned-comedian has donned many hats - from being funny on stage to acting and writing, which she says she does all the time. As somebody who has predominantly written with women but also has experience working with male peers, she has seen quite a big difference in the way a female-only or mixed group approaches a story.

"I feel female writers really care about the characters and want to know more about them." On the other hand, male writers want to get into the story and the plot points faster as compared to females. Women's stories are more character driven, according to her. "I believe this and it is also what I have learned from Sumukhi Suresh, with whom I have collaborated a lot: build characters, because stories will come from the characters."