“If you don’t have something clever to say, don’t say anything.” Etch those words into the stratosphere like hieroglyphics.
Rishi Budhrani is squinting at the sun, as a dented can of Coke Zero is subconsciously subjected to various degrees of tension between his hands. The power that mantra inspires within him cannot be understated. Even as those words leave his lips, their truth takes hold of him. With brows furrowed and arms tense, the 38-year-old considers their import, measuring his whole life by the length and breadth of their meaning.
Whether or not you’re inclined to think of one’s trajectory as following the design of destiny, the conclusion is ironclad: Budhrani was built for this. This being comedy. Not the slip-on-a-banana-peel-and-fall-on-your-bum kind, but the incarnation of it that puts you on stage, where you’re facing an intimidating expanse of seats—armed only with a microphone and the truth you speak into it.
Truth. It’s how Rishi Budhrani became one of the most sought-after stand-up comics in Singapore, with a blast radius that includes Malaysia, Hong Kong, the United States, Australia, India and Sri Lanka—not forgetting stints on Comedy Central and Netflix. In all the excitement that surrounds his various accolades as a comedian, actor and host, Budhrani is quick to redirect the conversation to the beating heart behind all his success: his longstanding passion for being true to his muse and rendering it in a voice that is uncompromisingly his own.
Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de Esquire Singapore.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición November 2022 de Esquire Singapore.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
THE MILD HANGOVER
Hangovers get a bad rap. We know. If you’ve gotten this far in the magazine, you’ve surely divined that we’re mildly hungover most of the time.
AN ELECTRIC FUTURE
Polestar, the minimalist electric Swedish car brand, turns the voltage up on its competition.
LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON
Royalty, shopping, the best tea and scones the world has to offer, and a lifestyle worthy of what you're working for. Here's why London is ripe for your next investment
NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA
As Co-founder of the events and talent agency Collective Minds and Managing Director of the Mandala Masters, Zaran Vachha is definitely not new to the culture scene, but he's certainly shaping what comes next.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED...
I DON’T WEAR SOCKS except in January.
The Body Is a Language
A bad handshake is such a turnoff; we feel irked when someone rolls their eyes at us; we can't stop pacing when we're nervous-ever wondered how certain body language has the power to change how we feel instantly? We explore why.
EYE OF THE TIGER
Hailing from Singapore, Japan and Brazil respectively, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes Darren Goh, Hiroki Akimoto and Alex Silva are proof that the ring demands as much from mind as it does from matter.
THE ADONIS COMPLEX
With the rise of superhero culture making a return and bringing with it the celebration of the classically ‘masculine’ body type, can men really overcome the pressure to conform when culture keeps getting in the way?
FUNNY BUT TRUE
A comedian, an iconic Singaporean, and now a man much evolved. After overcoming two years of pandemic limbo, unlocking career milestones one after another and undergoing a life-defining physical transformation, Rishi Budhrani is ready to emerge into the world renewed-and anew.
LIKE NO OTHER
With its horological triumphs, Hermès has truly come into its own as a watchmaking maison. In this exclusive interview with Esquire Singapore, CEO of Hermès Horloger, Laurent Dordet sheds some light on his timepieces' rising stardom and the importance of being different.
