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Laugh track: What’s funny now? Three comics tell us
Comedy is viral on Reels. Stand-up shows sell out in small towns. Three Indian comics tell us what works, what doesn’t and why the way ahead is no joke
Even five years ago, if someone admitted that they wanted to pursue comedy, reactions were different. Friends, family, nosy neighbours would ask if there was enough to script a full-length stand-up act, and if any money would come of it.
Then, in 2020, Instagram launched Reels, aiming to fight TikTok, but unwittingly giving all performers a platform of their own. Funny folks needn’t worry about a 15-minute show or a full house – clips under 30 seconds are going viral. Comedians are famous enough to break into mainstream entertainment. Matt Rife is making cameo appearances on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Fresh Off the Boat. He has 6.4 million followers on Instagram, and has released his first Netflix special (Matt Rife: Natural Selection).
For India, the playbook looks different. Viral fame is hard, sustained fame is harder. Bollywood has limited roles . And Reels rarely pay. Comedian Amit Tandon, content creator Abhinav Chand and new talent Shreya Priyam Roy tell us where comedy is headed.
Abhinav Chand @RJAbhinavv. 4.1 million Instagram followers
Chand, 30, is best known in Delhi as an RJ, even though he left radio in 2018. He’s been creating content ever since his former boss encouraged him to shoot videos in 2017. His video, Indian DJs vs. Videshi DJs, had more than 5 million views in three days. He’s collaborated with Disney+ Hotstar and Amazon and was among the first Indian digital comedy creators on the Cannes red carpet in 2022.
“I did five open mics after leaving radio,” Chand says. “Two bombed, three worked well.” What he needed was a formal platform for his writing, a tough ask in India. “Here everything is hit-and-miss,” Chand says. Thankfully he’s used to learning by himself.
New performers flounder because they lift published material instead of developing a style that comes naturally to them. “Analyse your work and find your comfort zone,” Chand say. “Plan something with the resources that you have and experiment.”
In the years to come, comedy will be more collaborative, building on existing fanbases and markets. “There’s an audience for any type of content you want to make in India, be it the most beautifully produced video or something raw, shot on a bad camera,” he says. “That’s the best part. That gives me the confidence to try anything.”
Chand’s own goals involve blending tech and comedy, and trying out stand-up comedy again. The golden ticket: a shot at the big screen. “I’m auditioning. I want to do everything. And I want to keep it that way because it has always worked for me.”
QUICK QUOTE: “I love Tom Hanks, I love how honestly he performs. I love all the Marvel heroes! I like watching the behind-the-scenes of shoots, see how an actor approaches a role and how he behaves on set. Stuff like that.”
Shreya Priyam Roy, @Shreya.Priyam. 222K Instagram followers
Roy, 25 left Patna for Delhi in 2017 to study and began to explore the comedy scene alongside.The following year delivered a stroke of luck. The Playground Comedy Club opened up close to where she was living, giving her easy access to gigs and meetings with comedians. She auditioned for Comicstaan S2 but only reached the finals in the next season, Comicstaan S3 last year.
“I was making zero money from comedy; in fact, I was investing money into comedy,” she recalls. Being on the show gave her the visibility she needed. “I could start to tour on my own. I won’t say I’m selling many tickets, but people are starting to recognise me.”
Comedy careers look different today than when she started out. Uploading two or three bits on YouTube, and angling for a live show or a corporate gig no longer cuts it. “With Instagram, nobody’s interested in long-format videos. We gain followers, but comedy is something you have to pay attention to. It’s why YouTube still matters. You have to post at least six good long videos so people can see what you do,” she says.
Roy understands that to have career in comedy, she’ll have to work around the clock. “It’s a solo journey, you have to write every day, think about jokes every day, go to open mics, create a structure, jam with other comics,” she says. “If you have 10 million followers, it’s easier to get acting gigs. For me to begin acting without first being a very good comic will be difficult.”
Being a woman doesn’t make things harder. The industry does not discriminate. But audiences often do. “There’s a lot of misogyny, especially with the online audience.”
QUICK QUOTE: “The main goal for a comic today to have people pay to watch that. That is happening in big cities with a young population: Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, Pune.”
Amit Tandon, @AmitTandon17. 212K Instagram followers
Armed with an MBA, qualified as an engineer, and running an HR company 10 years ago, Tandon, 46, still found the energy to pick up comedy as a hobby.He was featured on both NDTV’s Rising Stars of Comedy and CNBC TV18’s CEO’s Got Talent in 2014. Tandon starred in Comedians of the World on Netflix in January 2019, alongside 47 international comics. He’s performed over 1,400 shows, and taken his set to 25 countries.
“I didn’t expect to reach here,” Tandon says with a laugh. “But I’m not making specific plans about the future.” What he’s doing instead is writing, hard. He’s pitching series to networks, he’s writing two films. “I’m consulting on another movie as a writer, and writing my special.” This, it seems, is the next step up from live shows.
Tandon believes the journey for stand-up comedians in India is similar to what happened in the USA, where live stand-up has been around since the ’50s. “The stars of those days became late-night-TV show hosts, as David Letterman and Jay Leno did. Or they started writing series, like Jerry Seinfeld did. And then slowly they got into movies. Bill Burr has recently written a movie for Netflix. I think we’ll see something similar in India.” It’s happening already. Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare, written by Zakir Khan is in its third season, Vipul Goyal played the lead role in Humorously Yours, Kanan Gill starred in Christmas As Usual on Netflix.
Unlike the US, though, we have a way to go before the public considers comedy as a respected art form. Tandon says that few people understand the impact that comedy on the country. “People in smaller cities are buying tickets to see a live event for the first time,” he says. It’s a trickle-down effect that plays and music events still struggle with. “Stand-up comedians have started selling tickets in cities like Ferozepur, Mandi Gobindgarh, Azamgarh, names you’d never have heard of. And 500 people buy tickets.”
QUICK QUOTE: “Stand-up in India used to be performance-based. Today on YouTube, everybody writes their own content. It’s as important as the performance.”
4 questions with... Papa CJ
What’s the best way to break into comedy today? Social media does offer you a fast track to getting noticed. But there is no substitute for learning the craft by repeatedly getting on stage to face different audiences. Focus on learning the trade before learning the tricks of the trade. Should you become famous overnight and sell out a large theatre, a 5-minute viral clip can’t teach you how to hold the attention of a live audience for 90 minutes.
What’s changed from when you first started out? In early 2009, there was no English language comedy industry in India. I did my first two national tours after having done 700 gigs in the UK already. I remember an elderly lady asking me what I did, and telling her I’m a comedian. She said, “Son, even I tell jokes. But what do you do for a living?” Today, comedy is a fabulous career option. It’s possible to make a decent living, see people smiling and laughing, something that doctors and lawyers don’t get to. Also, there are very few jobs in the world where you get a round of applause when you walk into your office!
What’s the next step for a comic? Is it only films? Not at all. Stand-up doesn’t have to be a means to an end. It can be the end in itself. Why be in a creative field and be in a rat race there as well. Instead of comparing yourself with others, their fame or social media followers, focus on enjoying what feeds your soul and let that drive you to become better at what you’re actually passionate about.
Which Indian comics have a great future ahead? Vipul Goyal and Amit Tandon. The guys soaring to phenomenal heights are, of course, Vir Das and Zakir Khan. It was also lovely to see Urooj Ashfaq win the Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
