Published By: Alfaraz Laique

The evolution of standup comedy in India

Independent standup comedy scene in India broke out in the last decade but standup comedy was there for a long period of time. Nowadays, we see comedians from all states and towns making their mark with their witty jokes and sense of humors but there are many people and stages behind them.

To the generation who grew up in front of the television, standup comedy meant something else from what it means to people today. Our standup comedians used to come on air with the edited sounds and in built claps. Comedians in post-independence India were people who used to play sidekicks to the actor in movies. It is funny to note that they were not taken seriously as humans or actors because of the roles they played. They were labeled as comedians and there are many pioneers of that art including Johny Walker, Mehmood and Jonny Lever. For a long period of time, comedians were only seen in films but the time changed somewhere in the late 80s in India.

From Bollywood to TV - It was the time when the legendary Jaspal Bhatti tried his hand in political satire and made us laugh. He used the most innovative and technologically advanced medium available at that time, the television. Jaspal Bhatti and his satires reflected the pain of common man and yet he managed to make all this funny. It was also the time when Jonny Lever became inspired by the standup comedians like Bob Saget who used to perform in front of the live audience in Western countries and decided to do the same in the country. The man single handedly pulled the entire comedy scene and was perhaps the first major live standup comic of the country.

Open Mics - After them, then came the time of television based comedy shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge which introduced many standup comedians from all parts of the country. The great Kapil Sharma is also the product of the same show which became a rage after its release. Post that, similar shows ran on television for many years. It is important to talk about Vir Das at this point because he is a guy who actually is responsible for the evolution of proper standup comedy in the country. Vir Das hosted open mics at the time when they were not at all popular. He brought people into the game and gave them a platform to showcase their talents. It is his efforts that we see today which have resulted in the birth of many comedy gems.