PRESS

Comedy Central: How Sameer Khullar became Sugar Sammy

by Roshni Olivera, TNN
2013-03-11

To kick off their foray into live entertainment in India, Comedy Central, India's only 24-hour English comedy channel, has chosen Indo-Canadian comedian Sugar Sammy to perform in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai. Sammy has performed at over 1,000 shows in more than 30 countries, selling over 1,20,000 tickets in the last year alone. Part of a new breed of young, global performers, Sammy is all set to make India laugh. 

This is the second time you are performing in India?

I did a couple of shows in 2009, but this is the first time I'm performing on such a large scale. I'm looking forward to it.

What kind of humour can audiences expect?
I'm definitely going to talk about my experiences in India and the perceptions that people of North America have of India. There's going to be a lot of comedy... everything ranging from my travel to family, girlfriend, arranged marriages and pop culture.

Are you going to tone down some of your jokes?
I'm just going to be myself and take it as it comes. The audiences know what to expect from me. The fact is that people want to laugh.

How did Sameer Khullar become Sugar Sammy?
When I was a student in Montreal, Canada, I used to throw parties and invite the girls. They could enter free, while I would get the guys to pay an entry charge. That's where the girls found me to be very sweet and they started calling me Sugar Sammy.

And at what point did you decide to make this a full-time profession?
When I was a kid, I realized I could make everyone laugh. I often had people, especially the girls, gather around me when I cracked these jokes. That's when I decided to take it ahead.

Your parents are originally from India?
Dad's from Punjab and mom from Himachal Pradesh. They moved to Canada in the late 60s. A lot of my comedy comes from the generational clash between me and my family.

Is Bollywood going to figure in your gags?
Yes, maybe. I've watched a lot of old films, I loved the Amitabh Bachchan-Shashi Kapoor films and, as kids, my brother and I would act as them. I always played Amitabh Bachchan.

Do you nurse a secret desire to act in Bollywood?
I'd love to if something interesting comes my way.

This is the second time you are performing in India?
I did a couple of shows in 2009, but this is the first time I'm performing on such a large scale. I'm looking forward to it.

What kind of humour can audiences expect?
I'm definitely going to talk about my experiences in India and the perceptions that people of North America have of India. There's going to be a lot of comedy... everything ranging from my travel to family, girlfriend, arranged marriages and pop culture.

Are you going to tone down some of your jokes?
I'm just going to be myself and take it as it comes. The audiences know what to expect from me. The fact is that people want to laugh.

How did Sameer Khullar become Sugar Sammy?
When I was a student in Montreal, Canada, I used to throw parties and invite the girls. They could enter free, while I would get the guys to pay an entry charge. That's where the girls found me to be very sweet and they started calling me Sugar Sammy.

And at what point did you decide to make this a full-time profession?
When I was a kid, I realized I could make everyone laugh. I often had people, especially the girls, gather around me when I cracked these jokes. That's when I decided to take it ahead.

Your parents are originally from India?
Dad's from Punjab and mom from Himachal Pradesh. They moved to Canada in the late 60s. A lot of my comedy comes from the generational clash between me and my family.

Is Bollywood going to figure in your gags?
Yes, maybe. I've watched a lot of old films, I loved the Amitabh Bachchan-Shashi Kapoor films and, as kids, my brother and I would act as them. I always played Amitabh Bachchan.

Do you nurse a secret desire to act in Bollywood?
I'd love to if something interesting comes my way.