Shekhar Suman on His 24-Hour BJP Membership: 'I Was Pushed into a Corner'
A couple of weeks ago, actor Shekhar Suman’s monologue on his talk show Shekhar Tonite sparked political speculation. The monologue described a king who “smashed the mirror” when he did not want to face the truth about himself. The Congress party shared the clip on its official X handle, asking: “Who is this king? Why did he smash the mirror?”
In a recent interview, Suman reflected on his brief political stint and why he believes neutrality is essential for a satirical talk show. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for only 24 hours. “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,” he said.
Suman also recalled contesting elections on a Congress ticket in 2011, losing to BJP’s Shatrughan Sinha. He described himself as an “unwilling candidate” in that instance as well. “It was just a membership, not a full-time political role,” he clarified about the BJP membership.
On the importance of political neutrality for his show, Suman stated: “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.” He believes that a little irreverence is acceptable as long as the intention is not to humiliate guests.
Suman shared anecdotes about politicians, including Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who appeared on the premiere episode of Shekhar Tonite. Despite Suman’s brief BJP stint, Gadkari was “more than willing” to come on the show. Suman credited the legacy of his earlier show Movers & Shakers, which had hosted many high-ranking politicians.
He recalled former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s endorsement of Movers & Shekhars. “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!’” Suman said, calling it the greatest compliment for an actor.
When asked about the camaraderie between politicians from rival parties, Suman agreed, noting that they are friendly behind the scenes. “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,” he said.
