Singapore’s leading comic couple Rishi Budhrani and Sharul Channa will celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary next month in style – with a dual show at the newly renovated Esplanade Concert Hall on March 21.
“We will be tackling themes of family, relationships, dating, current affairs, politics and, of course, marriage,” said Rishi. “Both of us are very different comedians and will bring our own styles to the show.
“You can expect Sharul’s high-energy rapid fire-style of cutting comedy, along with my satirical take on current affairs and culture. And, needless to say, there will be a global, yet, Singaporean-Indian viewpoint present in both acts.”
The pair have performed together twice before – at the Goodman Arts Centre in 2015 and the Capitol Theatre in 2020.
Rishi and Sharul are coming off the back of taking their dual show globally for the first time in a decade. They recently performed to packed houses in Bengaluru, Cape Town and Jakarta.
“Actually, it feels very comfortable to be celebrating our 10th anniversary,” said Rishi. ”It’s like wearing your old, oversized T-shirt to bed. Honestly, we forgot about this milestone until we were planning for our show’s marketing. So, it’s almost become a part of our existence at this point.”
Sharul said it’s great to be Singapore’s “only married” stand-up comedy couple.
“We think every couple is funny, and if you don’t have a sense of humour, it makes daily life and long term relationships difficult to sustain,” she said. “The difference is, as a married couple we get paid to be funny. We wish the government would give us a grant or a rebate or a bonus for being a married comedy couple. Instead of a baby bonus, maybe a joke bonus?”
Having dated for eight years before their wedding, the couple feel they have come a long way together, and have offered tips to other couples: “Ignore each other from time to time; constructive ignorance is a powerful tool in healthy long-term relationships,” said Rishi.
“Roast and make fun of each other regularly and pick your battles – you can’t fight over everything. And love your in-laws, or at least try.
“If, on those rough days, you are not able to see the funny side of things, then you might go nuts. A sense of humour is that ‘jadibuti’, or special potion, that helps ease the strain of marriage.”
The Rishi and Sharul Show 3 also has an SG60 connection.
“We have grown up with Singapore over the years, and so has our relationship – through the struggles, through the difficulties,” said Sharul. “We figured it’s a good way to commemorate this milestone by sharing the one thing we know we can give Singapore unconditionally – laughter.”
“There was a time when people said we wouldn’t make it, but we did,” she added, humourously referencing a line from a famous National Day song.
Their ultimate goal is to encourage Singaporeans to laugh and fall in love.
“People are just taking themselves too seriously – on dates, in relationships, on social media,” said Sharul. “And because we take it all too seriously, it’s affecting our fertility rate.
“We encourage Singaporeans, especially the GenZs, to laugh at themselves a bit more, because if you can laugh at yourself, you can love yourself, and only if you can love yourself, can you fall in love with someone else. And help improve our birth rate.”
