One would never expect stand-up comedian Sumukhi Suresh to sign up for a Hindi reality show. But she did. So, we caught up with her right before she left on this social experiment to know why. After The Royals, the comedian — who also wrote Pushpavalli (2017–2020) and CTRL (2024) — says she was keen to shake up her life. And Chhoriyan Chali Gaon made her “nervous.” In conversation with mid-day, Suresh talks about her daring decision, her plans to catch the heart of a gaon ka chhora, and her next script. Excerpts from the interview.

I’m doing television. Can you believe it? I’m genuinely very excited because it has been so long since I did something new and [something that makes me] nervous. Literally everyone I know has been surprised by my decision. Just a day [before coming on board], I was going through full-blown panic, thinking, what am I doing with my life? While everyone feels I am doing so many things, I don’t register it.

I said yes instantly. Because honestly, it is time. If I don’t shake up things and see what is there for me, I will get stuck. As stand-up comedians, we are so comfortable bombing and also doing well in our crowd that I don’t know — how can I even reach the next level? A lot of good comedians have done their fair share of things. Like Vir [Das] has done movies, stand-up, then there is Zakir [Khan], who has done his own TV show. Be it Tanmay [Bhat] or [Gursimran] Khamba, they’ve all explored. So, I believe it is time to see what is out there for me to understand what kind of artiste I am.

This scared me the most. Look at all the contestants, everyone is so comfortable in their skin here and my skin is the only different one here. So, I thought of trying it. Even if I fail, it’s fine. But I want to make sure that I do it well and see if my personality can be something that is interesting to watch.

So yes, I know the bathroom woes are going to be raw, and I am scared. I haven’t carried toilet paper like others — guess I will take someone’s help. I don’t think too much. I will manage with the Indian washroom or whatever there is. I have been doing lots of squats in the gym because I didn’t know anything about the show. All I know is that it is going to be physically gruelling. I have been working out, but nothing like the femme fatales like Krishna [Shroff] and Erika [Packard]. Plus, they all know acting. In front of them, I am like a two on 10, but I’ll at least look good. As for the heat, I am from Nagpur, so it’s fine. All my skincare is sorted. I am carrying my clothes, and most importantly, my coffee. That’s the one thing I am attached to and want. This is going to be intense and insane. If I don’t lean into it completely, then I am not doing it for the right reason. It is going to be like the boot camp that refreshes me. Maybe, I’ll come back as a brand new person.

Everyone’s really startled. But to be fair, some of them have said they will see it and [are sure] it will be entertaining. The comics have been wishing me luck and adding, ‘This is going to be terrible.’ I feel like Tanmay will avoid this. He avoids triggers.

I already have plans. As everybody knows, I’m as Hoemonal [her stand-up show] as a fox. And I’m not an elitist at all.

Well, I’m done with my Hoemonal tour in India. I’ve closed my India tour, but I’m doing shows in the UK and then the US. I’ve written two interesting movies. One is a revenge comedy, the other is a frothy family comedy. I’ve also written dialogues for a movie that he’s [Vikramaditya Motwane] directed already. It’s too good and fun — it is a lust comedy.

He's unperturbed about being the son of a prolific character actor from the 80s and 90s (Shakti Kapoor), and the sibling of one of the top leading ladies in Bollywood (Shraddha Kapoor). “Slow and steady always wins the race“, is what he believes in. Even as he prefers working on one film at a time, Siddhanth Kapoor, who plays Dawood Ibrahim in the Haseena Parkar biopic, has plenty running on his mind. In a conversation with BT, he lets it all out. Excerpts...

It's often difficult to inhabit an unreal space with your real sibling. Given the close bond you share with your sister (Shraddha), was it challenging to portray an intense brother-sister equation on screen?
It was a bit of a challenge. One day, we shot a scene in which I was being beaten up. Shraddha, who plays Haseena, had to cry and she broke down for real. Since the camera was on, I couldn't even wipe her tears, but afterwards, I hugged her. It required a lot of switching on and off between the shots because some scenes were extremely overwhelming. Come to think of it, it's easier to get into a character than getting out of it. The lens, prosthetics, clothes and the set help you tune into a character, but it's not as easy to snap out of it. As for sharing screen space with Shraddha, our shoot went off well because apart from being siblings, we're friends. As kids, we used to do a lot of nautanki in front of the mirror at home, and we're very comfortable in each other's company.

Since you were the first one to be signed on for the film, did the change in the leading lady affect you? Sonakshi Sinha was the original choice...
I don't think too much about it. It's a blessing that my sister and I ended up working together. That's what matters.

Reportedly, your mother, Shivangi visited the set twice, but your father never did. What does he have to say about Haseena Parkar?
Dad was busy with his own commitments. He said, 'Main kya karoonga aake tumhare set pe?' He was clear that he'd give his verdict only after seeing the film. It's easier for us to impress mom than him. He's hard to please. His comments are always subdued and he's extremely critical of everything. You need someone like my father in every household. A critic like him will keep you on your toes.

People often draw parallels between your father's career and yours, particularly because you both had a slow start. Do you agree?
Even Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar had a slow start, not just my father. Ultimately, it takes that one film to be recognised. I have done some good work and I am doing some more now, so I don't feel the need for THAT one film. Slow and steady always wins the race, I will only take up films that interest me.

But you are often accused of taking your career rather lightly...
On an average, I've done one film a year since I started out. It's unfortunate that some of them haven't released. Also, acting isn't the only thing that I do. I also run an entertainment company, make music and travel, which take up a lot of my time. Though people don't see too much of me, I'm not complaining. I'm happy with this pace of life. Har actor ka time aata hai, mera bhi aayega.

Several actors have played Dawood before this. How much of the don will we get to see in a film that centres around his sister? Also, are you apprehensive about comparisons with other reel Dawoods?
I have a lot of screen time in the film, because the character ages from 18 to 45. I read up about him, his growing-up years and his equation with his family. Hussain Zaidi also helped me because he has written books about him. Talking about comparisons, I am happy with what I have done. For one, we haven't tried to glorify anyone; we have tried to be as factual as possible.

Do gangster films interest you?
Yes, I am a fan of films like Goodfellas, Casino, Godfather and Snatch. In Bollywood, I like Satya, Aatish, Mahasangram, Vaastav, the Shootout series and Company. While the West does it well, we do a lot of justice to the genre, too. Apoorva Lakhia, Mukul Anand, Sanjay Gupta and Anurag Kashyap are phenomenal in this space. Gangster films work only when they are narrated in a raw and realistic manner.

As an artiste, how much do you think Shraddha has changed from Teen Patti to Haseena Parkar?
She blew my socks off with her subtlety in Haider. She's the only one who didn't want to be an actor, and never trained to get into films. Dad is a trained actor and so am I. She has come so far only with her talent and strong-mindedness. She can do anything under the sky to make her character work.

There's a lot of talk about her personal life and her link-up with a leading star...
We don't really care. I don't even read papers much. In our family, we give space to each other, we live and let live. If something needs to be spoken about, we do that.

There was some talk about you getting married to a foreigner as well...
I am only married to my work. Erika Packard is my ex-girlfriend and we were engaged. Our breakup didn't hurt me much. Love happens on its own and right now, I don't see it coming.

Siddhanth Kapoor (Shakti Kapoor's son) is believed to have got engaged to his longtime sweetheart, model Erika Packard. An excited Erika posted a picture of her sporting a striking diamond ring on her social networking page on Thursday and soon, congratulatory messages started pouring in from the couple's friends.While the actor and his father denied the development, sources close to the couple say that the two got engaged in Thailand earlier this week.

On his part, Siddhanth maintained, “It's just a promise ring. We are not engaged as of now. We exchanged rings when we moved in together a while back.When we let the news out, be assured that you will be the first to know.“

Siddhanth was last seen in Shootout At Wadala. Erika is the daughter of Bollywood villain Gavin Packard, who passed away in 2012. Interestingly, Shakti and Gavin had acted together in films like Aankhen and Jallad.