he past year has been tough for Shekhar Suman, who lost his mother in June 2021. He went into a shell and it took a lot of effort to slowly return to normalcy. He says, “My mother relocated from Patna to live with me in Mumbai in 2015 because I insisted on it, as she wasn’t keeping well. The last few years with her were blissful. I used to cook food for her, and we would have great conversations. My life revolved around her. Last year, she passed away, and I was again struck with grief because I lost my father a few years back, and I have dealt with the loss of my son in the past, too. After my father and son, when my mother passed away, it was very difficult for me and for a long time, I did not work or meet anyone.”

Shekhar has now resumed work and will soon be seen in India's Laughter Champion as a judge along with Archana Puran Singh. He says, “Archana and I did three films together, and funnily, those films ran into some trouble when they were ready for release. Archana is a wonderful colleague and we gel well together. I am glad that finally, we are judging a show together.”

Ask Shekhar about comedy shows on TV, and he says, “I feel that comedy is not supposed to be loud. You don’t need to use abusive words or derogatory language to make people laugh. I enjoy clean humour and feel that it is possible to make people laugh in the simplest way. TV used to have good comedy shows, like Dekh Bhai Dekh, but we don’t have that kind of content anymore. I think it is time for humour to evolve and newer talent to take over and be part of comedy shows.”

Talking about the current phase where different mediums have opened up, he says, “Like everyone else, I feel that these are exciting times for those actors who did character-driven roles. I also feel that star power will diminish, and it will be more about actors, who will be remembered for their characters, whether it is films or OTT. In the past two years, the audience has woken up to the fact that they want to see newer content with actors who are focussed on good acting rather than just star power. Even in the past, among the huge number of starry films, when there would be a film featuring a Nawazuddin Siddiqui or Irrfan Khan, people would find it refreshing and loved watching it.”

Shekhar, who has also done a few web shows, does not feel that the digital medium will impact the power of the big screen. He says, “People will continue watching films in theatres and also watch shows on OTT. In this, maybe, TV might take a backseat because the content on TV needs to improve.”