‘Was pushed into a corner’: Shekhar Suman on why he joined and quit BJP within 24 hours

A couple of weeks ago, Shekhar Suman’s cryptic yet scathing monologue on his talk show Shekhar Tonite left many wondering about its political undertones. The monologue, which spoke of a king who “smashed the mirror” when he did not want the truth about himself to be revealed, was even shared by the Congress on its official X handle with the caption: “Who is this king? Why did he smash the mirror?”

While Shekhar Suman has chosen not to elaborate on the monologue, he did reflect on his brief political stint on SCREEN Spotlight. The actor also explained why he believes it is important to remain neutral while hosting a satirical talk show.

Do you think there’s scope for political satire in the polarised world of today?

I’ll have to probably play it by the ear and check out. So far, it’s just been fine. A little bit of irreverence and leg-pulling is okay with the guests. I think it’s the matter in which you speak to them. If the intention is to humiliate or run someone down, that’s what they don’t like. A little bit of nodding and nudging is fine. They also like if you take them to a place where they haven’t been. In my monologue, I comment on the socio-political system of our country. What I say is basically satirising the truth, what I read in the newspapers.

You had Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in the premiere episode of Shekhar Tonite. Did being an ex-member of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) help in bringing him onboard?

No, I was a member of BJP only for 24 hours.

Why did you decide to join the party in the first place then?

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I don’t know. Sometimes, you get pushed into a corner. There are reasons beyond your control. It’s happened to me twice that you end up doing something you don’t want to do. I also contested once on a Congress ticket (in 2011, lost to Shatrughan Sinha of BJP), where I was also pushed into the corner. I was a very unwilling candidate. Even now, I fail to get why I did that. But it was just a membership, not a full-time political role.

How important is it to not be a part of any political party while doing a political satire show?

For a show like this, you’ve to be completely apolitical. You can’t take sides, leaning on the left or the right. You have to sit on the fence.

Javed Akhtar said in his farewell Rajya Sabha speech that politicians from rival parties are actually quite friendly behind-the-scenes. Was that your experience too?

Yes, they are (laughs). In the political arena, they have to take a stand. But I hope politicians have a human side to them as well. So, there they’re buddies. They’re not like bum-chum buddies, but are friendly and enjoy a sense of camaraderie. It’s like two countries are friendly, but when they go to war, they can’t cross paths with each other.

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So, was Nitin Gadkari hesitant to come on the show despite you quitting BJP within 24 hours?

No, he was more than willing. My show Movers & Shakers had a certain legacy of high-ranking politicians coming as guests. They all know what they’re getting into. When Sushma Swaraj (former Union Minister) came on my show, she told me, “Everybody warned me not to go on this show, except my daughter, who said, ‘If there’s one show you should go on, it’s this one.'” So, once they’re there, they know what they’ve been hearing from others is nothing but a misconception.

You even got an endorsement from then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for Movers & Shekhars?

Yes! At an event, he saw me, stopped the cavalcade, stepped down his car, and hugged me. He told me, “This show must go on. When you take on me, I laugh out the loudest!” I recorded it and see it every day. That’s the greatest compliment for an actor. Where else do you see a prime minister stop for an actor?

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Late night shows are having a tough time in even the US now, with The Late Show with Stephen Colbert going off air. Right?

It’s surprising because America is known for democracy and free speech. Had it happend in India, I’d have still gotten it. In America or the UK, you could go to Hyde Park and openly say anything against the queen. That’s how it should be in India as well. We should have a completely hands-off policy, and the latitude to talk about anybody. In America, they abuse the politicians as well. But I’d just like to point out a few things because you should have the right to free speech as well as criticise the government.