Ask stand-up comedian Sharul Channa how she wants to be remembered and she immediately responds that she wants to pave the way for more women to join the comedy scene. This stems from the fact that she had to work extra hard to prove herself in a male-dominated field.
She recalled not being able to get show slots in the early years of her career, or was bumped off after she was booked to perform.
“I knew my rights so I was a difficult person sometimes,” she said. “I would ask the promoter why I wasn’t getting spots or why I was bumped.
“We were dealing with promoters who were very masculine, in a scene that was booming – and I was the only woman. There were a lot of male egos to please, which I was not willing to do.
“I’ve had drunk texts from a promoter and there was an open mic-er who sexually harassed me by grabbing me from the back and told me to leave my then-boyfriend,” she added. “But I also had male comedians who were very protective of me – when they found out, they told him to back off.”
Comedy wasn’t in Channa’s plans when she graduated with a diploma in performance arts (acting) from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2006.
She moved to India to try out for television and theatre roles because “at that time, there were very few roles for women of colour in Singapore”. After three months, she realised it wasn’t the right time and returned to Singapore.
Comedian Rishi Budhrani, her boyfriend at the time, whom she married, had just started doing open mic nights. Often held at bars or comedy clubs, open mic nights allow audience members to do a short set on stage, regardless of whether they are amateurs or professionals.
It was during one of his performances that Channa stumbled upon her future career path.
“The owner of the club told me no women in Singapore were doing comedy and they needed some female energy,” she told CNA Women. “He asked if I could get on stage and do a three-minute set. So I did it and people were laughing and I thought, wow, this is really liberating.
“The next time I didn’t do well, so I thought there has to be a skill behind this, I can’t just rock up and do the same thing,” she added. “So I started writing jokes. That was 14 years ago.”
