Sumukhi Suresh on how she plans to include a bit about her scenes with Morea from The Royals in her stand-up
Letty Mariam Abraham (MID-DAY; May 20, 2025)
She is someone who cannot justify her existence by doing only one thing; that is why she dabbles in several forms of art, confesses actor-comedian-writer Sumukhi Suresh, when we get on a call with her as she preps for her stand-up in Dubai. The actor, who was recently seen in Netflix’s The Royals, plays assistant to Bhumi Pednekar’s character. The role, originally written for a male actor, was transformed by Suresh, who made it her own by adding her unique flavour. In conversation with mid-day, Suresh talks about the reaction to the show, how it helped pull more audiences for her stand-up special Hoemonal, and why she didn’t have the heart to ogle at Ishaan Khatter’s shirtless avatar. Excerpts from the interview.
What was your reaction when you got the script for The Royals? And did you write your own dialogues?
The first time the role came to me, it was a male part and the character was called Keertan. I was excited to play the part. It was cool if a boy’s role was becoming a girl’s — I didn’t mind that. It was a smaller role, but since they brought me on board, they gave me the liberty to improvise a lot, and it ended up being a longer schedule. It became quite fun eventually, and I had a blast doing it. Imagine how good the writers are, to allow an actor — to trust them — to improvise for a fiction show. That is quite a feat.
What kind of reactions are you getting?
The show is getting a lot of eyeballs. In fact, I was in the immigration line to go to Dubai for my show Hoemonal, and someone asked me if I was Keertana from The Royals. I said yes, and told her to come to my show. I see it this way: if it gets more people to my shows, then that’s amazing for me.
Who did you ogle at more in the show — Ishaan Khatter or Dino Morea?
You may have seen the final product, but we all saw Ishaan work hard to do what he did. We all felt, “Haaye bechara, kitna kaam kar raha hai.” But I did ogle at Milind Soman and Dino Morea. I also got to dance with Dino. I’m going to carry that memory with me to the next three shows. I’ll do a bit on it. After Dubai, I’m performing in Ahmedabad, and my last Hoemonal show is in Mumbai.
Is acting just a hobby, or do you wish to act more in content you’ve written?
I love acting. I did Pushpavalli because I wanted to act, so I thought I’d write it. I would have acted in Pushpavalli even if someone else had written it. Naveen Richard and Sumaira Shaikh were also the writers, so it was perfect. If other people are casting me — that’s the dream — then I can just act and enjoy myself.
What is tougher — acting, comedy, writing? What frees your spirit?
Acting really frees my spirit. I enjoy being in front of the camera; there’s a certain amount of freedom to it. It’s exciting to play someone else. Writing, for me, is more of a discipline — it’s something I’m learning, and hopefully I get better at it. Writing is the legacy I want to leave behind. Stage is what fuels me — it’s where we fail more than we succeed. We bomb a lot and get a lot of silences, and that really humbles you.
After your popularity soared, have you ever bombed on stage?
Yes, of course. The audience doesn’t care how popular you are. If you’re not good enough, they won’t laugh. When it bombs, it’s really beautiful. It reminds you why you’re doing this in the first place.
How difficult is it to become a writer in this industry?
The learning itself is a different journey. But just the opportunity, payment terms, and contracts — they’re not the most beneficial for us. The money might be good, but the cash flow is tough. If you want to become a writer, you have to do other things that can pay your bills. I’m fortunate to do stand-up, or act, or post my work on Instagram, which helps me write without the pressure of making money from it.
Have you ever felt that you’re not good enough?
I feel that every day. As I’m talking to you, I’m having a full-on crisis in my head, wondering if I’m a good actor. It’s both a good and a bad thing. The anxiety of over-performing stays in my head. I like to do something new on a daily basis.
All that makes Sumukhi talented!
2024: CTRL (Writer)
2022: Dongri Danger (Director)
2022: Hum Do Teen Chaar (Actor)
2021: Comedy Premier League (Writer and performer)
2020: Pushpavalli (Creator, actor, writer)
2018: Comicstaan (Host and Judge)