Shekhar Suman brought India its very first desi late-night talk show in 1997 with ‘Movers And Shakers’. But what people loved most was Suman’s funny impressions, especially his take on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He started his career in films with ‘Utsav’, which featured Rekha, but he became much more popular on television. He later hosted two more talk shows, ‘Simply Shekhar’ and ‘Carry On Shekhar’. In 2005, he also appeared as a judge on ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ alongside Navjot Singh Sidhu, though he left the show midway. After a 14-year hiatus, Suman is back with a brand-new show called ‘Shekhar Tonite’ on YouTube, which premiered on May 15. His first guest on the show was Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
When Atal Bihari Vajpayee stopped his motorcade for Shekhar Suman
On the show, Shekhar opened up about a personal and touching encounter he once had with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He shared, “I had gone to attend an industrialist’s son’s marriage, and he was there as a chief guest. While his motorcade was moving, I ran ahead so that he could see me. Mr Vajpayee stopped his car, stepped out, and walked towards me. He hugged and patted me and said, I was looking for you for a long time. I record your show and watch it every day. And when you take off on me, I laugh the loudest. Never ever stop the show. I love it.”
Gadkari backs PM Modi’s appeal on international travel
When asked about filmmakers responding to Prime Minister Modi‘s appeal to reduce international travel, Gadkari was direct. He said, “They better listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi if they know what’s good for them! If the PM is saying that, we need to pay heed to it. There have to be some strong, serious reasons behind it — not to buy gold, use less petrol and diesel, and work from home. There is probably a crisis lurking around the corner because of the war that was going on. So he has a point there.”
Shekhar Suman’s exciting lineup of upcoming projects
On the professional side, Shekhar Suman was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s much-talked-about project ‘Heeramandi’. Looking ahead, he has an exciting lineup of films in the pipeline, including Shah Rukh Khan’s highly anticipated ‘King’, Prakash Raj’s ‘Jan Aadesh’, and ‘Reporting Life’.
