To start off, I have to admit my bias: I am a fan of Sumaira Shaikh’s comedy! For me, Sumaira’s Bambaiya humour mixed with a generous dollop of dark jokes, hits the spot. I like that she doesn’t shy away from taking the piss out of her family, faith, or homeland i.e., Dongri.
Yes, you heard that right: Dongri. The mini-city near Mumbai is infamous for having produced one of India’s most dreaded gangsters ever—Dawood Ibrahim. Sumaira has a story to tell about him, too.
Without giving too much away, I’d like to say that the charming, little anecdote she recounts about her father and his friends having met the gangster (when they were young boys), made me almost spit the tea I was sipping on.
She starts her set by asking if someone from Dongri has made it to her show. When one person from the audience cheers in response, she tells the audience it’s her father, only to tell them he’s not, immediately after. This should give you a hint about her witty stage presence.
Sumaira Pokes Fun At Herself
In “Dongri Danger”, Sumaira talks about a bunch of things. From road trips and hierarchies in friend groups, to the unusable female loos at dhabas and the luxury of visiting malls—she has an amusing take (or two) on all of them.
You might think of these as trivial topics, but you will be mistaken if you think that is all she has to offer. She also talks about tough topics like her brother’s death and Tsunami videos on YouTube, in the same breath, in an equally cheeky manner.
You might be pleasantly surprised at the things you end up laughing at, when you watch her comedy special. Sumaira has a penchant for taking the ordinary and the personal, and turning them into fodder for observational, slice-of-life humour.
The best part: she can’t control her laughter either when cracking some of the jokes. She also cusses freely throughout the show. Not to mention the fact that when she mispronounces a word, she follows it up by making fun of herself for doing so.
Sumaira Is Relatable And Smart
Sumaira’s relatability and the way she connects with the audience is definitely a plus point. Wearing a kurta paired with a leather jacket, she comes across as a sassy badass. Also, the set was pretty beautiful too—it looks like it’s been dressed up to resemble a street from Dongri, with a café, a shoe store and whatnot!
She is a modern, Indian, Muslim woman. Why do I say this? Because, she makes several important, political points in her special, in the guise of comedy. She takes on the rich-poor divide, lack of education in Muslim communities, and the absurdity of some social expectations, through jokes and jest.
Writing is definitely Sumaira’s forte. You might be delighted to know that she was one of the writers of the web series “Pushpavalli”. She was also a part of its wickedly funny cast, playing one half of the inimitable, evil duo, who are the lead’s PG mates in the show.
I have only seen her going from strength to strength, and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to next. As Kareena Kapoor Khan says in the film “Jab We Met”: “aap convince ho gaye ya main aur bolu (are you convinced yet or should I keep talking)?” What are you waiting for, go watch Dongri Danger NOW!
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Full disclosure: Her artist manager, Manav Awasthi, is a friend of mine. I also had the pleasure of being on the same panel as her for a BuzzFeed India video.