Three things to watch out for in Sunil Grover's stage comedy show this month!

Actor and stage comedian Sunil Grover promises to take the audience on a ride of laughter in his upcoming show on Saturday, February 28 at Victory Convention Centre.

Sunil Grover has gained immense popularity with his rib-tickling comedy acts on several popular and highly successful TV shows. His on-stage characters such as Dr Mashoor Gulati, Gutthi, etc. have already created a unique name for themselves that he says are inspired by his real-life experience meeting different people in the journey to becoming what he is today.

In a brief conversation with the Indian Weekender, Sunil Grover opens up more about the characters he plays, his journey into the entertainment industry, his love for live performances and what can the audience expect from his upcoming and fast-selling Auckland show.

The three things to watch out for in his Auckland show are popular characters, new acts, and creating laughter engaging with the audience.

What is the inspiration behind the characters you play- Gutthi, Dr Mashoor Gulati, Rinku Bhabhi?

A lot of these characters you see on screen are an inspiration from different life experiences. I was born in a small town in Haryana and in my growing years have seen many girls and characters like Gutthi and Rinku Bhabhi. These characters are an embodiment of such interactions. We meet such people on an everyday basis, and every interaction or even observation can inspire a new character or for that matter, a joke or an act that I play on the stage.

Are there any sketches that you perform derived from real-life experiences?

The sketches that you see on screen or stage are all inspirations derived from real-life experiences meeting different types of people at various stages of life.

Some of it are just passing observations, while others an exaggerated version of the reality we deal on a daily basis. We come across so many things, you observe and see things as funny things people do or react to or behave like. Some of the sketches are something that people want to say but on a normal interaction will not express, but this platform gives us the liberty to be blatant and sometimes say the thing that people usually don't often express openly, and it is funny too. Say character like Gutthi or Rinku Bhabhi – it’s like a caricature of a few people like them.

Being one of the most sought after stage comedy artistes, how was the journey looking back?

The journey has been incredible, started with theatre, drama, radio, TV and then few films and have been fortunate to go with directors like Vishal Bharadwaj and Ali Abbas Zafar working with whom you learn and progress a lot. On TV, I have been able to do a few characters which got popular and a big part of some hugely successful shows, and there are always new things we are trying to do to entertain the audience.

Coming to Auckland again, how excited are you?

This time we will have new acts that we haven't performed earlier – play some games with the audience, interact with them- looking forward to that apart from that jokes and sketches.

How different will be your show from three years back?

I love coming to Auckland, I like this city's weather, and the response I received in my last visit was exemplary. With some new acts, few pop characters we are excited to come to perform here- and what excites me most is interacting with the audience, meet and speak to them.

What's on your cards Bollywoodwise in 2020 and later.

I just finished a web series which will be streaming soon; it is more like drama and serious stuff. I am also doing something funny for another OTT platform and looking forward to doing various other projects and have a film to do this year too.

What is your first love, stage performance or movies?

I love all mediums, and of course, they all have their own charm. But I love performing live, and because the audience is in the front and I get an opportunity to see to meet them, it's them who I perform for. While performing on TV, you don't get a chance so easily to catch actual audiences' reactions and emotions. Live shows are an opportunity for me to see the immediate response, and you can hear the love from the audience – and it's the best feeling.