Comedian dares audience to do planks

BENGALURU: A year ago, recalls standup comedian and motivational speaker Shekhar Vijayan, who weighed about 130 kg, he broke a commode while trying to sit on it and that became a running joke in the family. His closed friend also asked him if the stage had ever broken when he stands on it for his shows. Ask him what prompted him to lose 40 kg in a year (without hitting the gym) and he says his friends and family had a small role to play.

With a goal of losing weight, Vijayan decided to walk every day. What started with walking 2km a day increased to 4km and then 6km. Today, he says, he runs 15km every day. “I can complete 10km in 38 minutes, which is pretty good. I just make sure I run every day. I am a stubborn person so I run whenever and wherever I can. Sometimes you can see me running near my house even at midnight,” he says, adding that his diet now excludes anything white, going to the extent of replacing salt with pepper. Fried and junk food are also completely off the menu.

Besides running, the motivational speaker and stand-up comedian also does planks for two minutes every half an hour. Interestingly, Vijayan has done planks while travelling in a plane, at railway stations, hotels and even while hosting shows and at weddings. “I don’t bother about what people around me think. At events, I dare the audience to do planks. When they see me doing it, they follow suit. We have done planks for even three to four minutes on stage,” he reveals.  

On venturing into comedy

Vijayan quit his high paying IT job four years ago to pursue his passion, entertaining others. He learned stand-up comedy from Cyrus Broacha. “I didn’t speak a word until I was two years old. I used to be a shy kid. My family was shocked when they saw me performing on stage,” he says. The biggest inspiration for him is his 11-year-old golden retriever Sunshine. “He teaches me to live in the moment and be positive,” he says. Sunshine also accompanied him on his run and walks.    

He has hosted events for actors such as Mohanlal, authors such as Jeffery Archer and cricketers such as Virat Kohli. At one of the book launches in 2016, he recalls, Archer noticed his sadness. “He asked me what happened and I told him that my 108-day-old daughter passed away a day before. He was surprised I was performing the next day. But that’s how I endure pain, by entertaining others. My daughter would have wanted me to do it,” he says.