DOSSIER DE PRESSE

A Khullar full of Sugar

par Shilpa Bansal
2013-03-14

This is going to be nothing less than a hell of a laughter ride as Canada's No.1 stand-up comedian Sugar Sammy gears up for his performance in the city this weekend.

You laugh at him because he's funny, but those of you brave enough to sit in the first row of his show, watch out – you could be his next joke.  Well, whether the joke is on you or not, you still have the last laugh. ROFL, LOL, LMFAO – now, you may run out of words but you will still be holding your stomach and laughing out loud. Well, this is the kind of effect Samir Khullar aka Sugar Sammy has when he takes centre stage. Hailing from Montreal, the stand-up comedian will be performing in the city as part of the Comedy Central India Sugar Sammy Tour. Sammy who is of Punjabi descent, is known for his wit, charm and puns that he presents from an Indo-Canadian perspective.

Indian memories ...  I had to come to India a few years ago for a show, but before that, it was only when I was four-years-old.  I stayed at my mom's place in Una in Himachal, where they shaved my head and poured milk - the secret behind my good-looking hair. I was mad at my mom then, but now I can thank her. And this time I want to try out vada-pav, pav bhaji and other exotic Indian stuff, but everyone has suggested to go easy on my stomach.

Hindi and old Hindi cinema ... Hindi was the fourth language that learnt.  And I grew up watching all those Sashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan films like Deewar,  Shaan and Namak HalaI. I remember how my brother and I would enact scenes from these films with those famous dialogues.

From Samir to Sugar Sammy ... Well, it is a name given to me by girls when I was in university. I used to throw a lot of parties and get the girls entry, and so they started calling me Sugar.  l tought it was cute, so I stuck to it. A man has the right to be just as sweet, right?

To be a good stand up ... It's always important to observe humour in everything.  You need to be a good writer, constantly working on your material and keep performing.  It's like gymming – the more you do, the better you get. I have been doing this for 17 years and I think I have built quite a bit of those laughing muscles.

The jokes are on multicultural issues and arranged marriages ... But the base for my jokes also includes a lot of other subjects.  Like for this tour, I plan to talk about my travels, my relationship with women and parents, sports, pop culture and of course, my take on India.

Phir bhi dil hai Hindustani...  Indians in India are very different from those in North America.  The perception that they have about India is very different – it's what India really was and not what it has become now. For example, before I came here, my mom said, ‘Go on a lookout for a wife and come back with her.' And my dad said, ‘Women in India treat husbands Iike God and don't call them by their names.'  But when I came here, the first thing I saw was a girlfriend shouting out to her boyfriend, 'ae kutte idhar aa.' My parents still remember lndia from the '60s. But in my show l'm going to bring out this fresh content - live from India. I am not going to tone my jokes as such, but I will try to create a bridge between the North America and Indian cultures.

Punning on India and Indian mentality... It's natural. We will always talk about things that we know first.  We want to talk and comment on the generation and cultural gap.  And comedy is the best way, and stand-up the best profession.

If not a stand up, Sugar Sammy would be ... A producer, who can take live entertainment to a whole new level altogether.

Your best pick-up line ...  I have one for India - 'Raat Baaki, Baat Baaki; Hona Hai Jo, Ho Jaane Dol' (Go, figure)

Women and humour ... Oh! I think they go very well together. I love women and women love humour.

Your dishy looks or sense of humour... I think women would fall for my sense of humour because l understand that women prefer a man who can make them laugh over someone who's good looking.  My looks are just an added benefit.