When it comes to comedy, India has witnessed many ups and downs over the years.
Indians were introduced to stand-up comedy in 2005, when Indian television screens hit by its maiden stand-up comedy show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’. Yes, it was in Hindi and since then stand-up became an art popular among Indians.
The content of these shows were regularly mapped and the comedians had to be very alert not to ‘offend’ anyone or spread vulgarity. And hence ‘double meaning’ jokes also came into act.
Then came the era of YouTube and other social media platforms and western culture was also spreading around and hence English stand-up was experimented in India and a class of people actually liked it. Yes, their content was not suitable for the kids, and that may be the reason they didn’t gain much popularity on Indian television. But they truly rocked the social media. A large chunk of people lavishly spend money to watch English comedy act live.
So here we bring some of the rising Indian comedians who just said anything and everything to gather laugh:
Papa CJ
Papa CJ is one of the most globally recognised Indian stand-up comedians. Having tickled the audience’s’ funny bones on live shows as also through television and radio, CJ is also the only stand-up comedian to have performed in the hugely popular American TV Show-Last Comic Standing.
Atul Khatri
He is may be India’s oldest stand-up comedian, @one_by_two (on twitter) and CEO of an IT form, he is Atul Khatri.
A half-Indian, half-Pakistani, Atul Khatri is all-comedian. One of the rising comic stars, his skill is his panache for giving a comic twist to even the most serious of subjects, like the India-Pakistan relationship.
Daniel Fernandes
Another uprising comedian, MBA from Symbiosis Pune opt to go on stage to showcase his talent to spread cheer and laughter around along with letting people give a deep thought on an issue– infamous Charlie Hebdo, marital rape, student suicide. The @absolutelydanny (on twitter) has managed to enter its audience’s mind on various issues through comedy.
Vir Das
He is all in one and might not need any introduction. You must have seen this guy on the silver screen, he is an actor, YouTuber, a stand-up comic, he is Vir Das.
Having debuted as a random VJ on a TV channel, to have slowly escalated onto a comedy show on a prime time, little did people know that within a decade he’ll become a household name. The man could easily be attributed as a jack of all trades for his forte as a comedian plays differently as a singer in ‘Alien chutney’ his band and as an actor in various other movies.
Kanan Gill
Quite famous among the ladies, he is 25-year old techie turned comedian.
Kanan worked as a software engineer in an IT firm for three years. In the meantime, he participated and won a competition called Punchline Bangalore followed by another win at the Comedy Store in Mumbai. He then quit his job to pursue a career in comedy.
He gained popularity with the viral YouTube series Pretentious Movie Reviews. He reviews critically panned Hindi movies along with another comedian Biswa Kalyan Rath. Kanan also worked in an improv sketch comedy show, The Living Room on Comedy Central.
Sapan Verma
Young budding Stand-up artist and YouTuber, founder member of the famous East India Comedy, Sapan Verma is another comedian who is rising in day-after-day. He bring up the topics of day-to-day life of youth making a connect with young generation.