Stand-up comedian Suresh Menon knew the eviction was coming but he did not expect to be the first one to go from Jhalak.... He tells Sidhi Mishra how dancing has never been his forte but it was a fun experience being on the show
Considered to be Comedy Ka Rajnikath, Suresh Menon put on his dancing shoes for Colors’ Jhalak Dikhhala Jaa’s Season 6 with a lot of verve. His Fuferman act in the premier round had the judges in splits, but Suresh’s funny jabs didn’t quite give him audience votes.
“I was expecting an eviction soon as I don’t know dancing but was surprised to be the first to be chucked out. Having said that, my objective was to entertain the audience and to familiar myself with dancing. These two weeks are unforgettable. I’m happy I got to know how much dance I am capable of. To get acquainted with dancing was my sole purpose,” Menon tells you.
An ardent fan of dance reality shows, when Menon got the Jhalak offer, he went for it. “I enjoy watching dance shows and I wanted to explore one myself. That’s why I said yes to Jhalak. I know ‘Pappu can’t dance’ but I thought of giving it a try once. I’ve been part of small competitions but only for fun. I was never a serious contender for a dance show before this,” he says.
Though practice was hard, shoots were fun. “My Fuferman act cheered up many on the show. I had a lot of fun with my co-contestants. I believe in making people around me laugh. I can’t sit quietly because I love to chat up people and put them at ease,” Menon adds.
Along with Menon, his choreographer’s journey ended too. But he says the time spent with Suchitra was a learning experience as she worked on him endlessly. “Suchitra is a wonderful choreographer and dancer. I salute the efforts she made to make me dance. last season, she partnered cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya who was the second contestant to be evicted. But non-dancers don’t scare this hardworking woman. I wish that in next season she gets a participant who has some dancing in him,” Menon says.
In Season 6, Menon finds lots of strong participants but he would vote for Karanvir Bohra as the best. “I see potential in every contestant but lauren and Karanvir Bohra appear energetic and vibrant,” Menon, who worked in media marketing before venturing into the entertainment industry, tells you.
So what’s this about filmmaker Karan Johar hating himIJ “He is an intelligent director who has a different perspective on how comedy should be done. But I’m somebody who can laugh at myself and I love mimicking others (which Johar is against). I never had any problem being on the show with him as judge. We talked off-screen and I even told him I wanted to work with him,” Menon clarifies.
Though Menon loves the work of most comedians, Johny lever is his all-time favourite. “Kapil Sharma, Siddharth Yadav and Purvi Joshi are doing a great job. In fact, I find Manish Paul an amazing comedian too. His sense of humour is outstanding. We had a blast in Jhalak,” Menon says.