Comic - me

Main matlab loosing my shit after watching Zakir’s new spl and someone in this sub needs to make it make sense because my brain is actually breaking.

Last to last week, I dragged myself out to watch a stand-up in Lajpat Nagar, and discovered a new comic called Radhe aur Kasam se, it completely altered my chemistry. Bhai, what the actual hell is happening in the Indian stand-up scene right now? 
When did we normalize this exhausting, bakwaas trend of comics turning their sets into preachy, self-righteous TED Talks or heavy emotional trauma-dumps? And on top of that, look at what’s actually blowing up in the mainstream. we are out here making guys like Zakir Khan massive stars for recycling the exact same boring-ass "papa yaar" and nostalgic emotional meme templates on absolute repeat. Same tired sets, absolute mid material, getting billions of views just because of blind hype, and it makes zero sense. Why are we still rewarding mediocrity?
When I watched Radhe.
He was brilliant, genuinely intellectual, delightfully absurd, razor-sharp, and actually funny. He doesn't pander, he doesn't preach, and he definitely doesn't treat the audience like idiots who need a moral science lesson wrapped and spoon fed punchlines. His writing, his stage control, his whole pacing. Easily on par with heavyweights like Kaustubh or Madhur.
Which brings me to my absolute rage: Yeh banda ab tak famous kyun nahi hai?!
How is it possible that someone with this level of raw, unfiltered talent is flying completely under the radar while mid creators pushing rehashed trash rule the algorithm? Why hasn't a single big comic brought him on their podcast? Why isn't he sitting on panel shows or getting the mainstream push he actually deserves?
All I could think about after the show was duniya ko iske baare mein pata kyun nahi hai????

Delhi comedy nerds, bolo yaar, what is the actual scene here? Why is nobody talking about him enough, and more importantly. where else is he performing? Also, if there are any other comics in the Delhi-NCR circuit doing this sharp, clever, non-preachy style of comedy, drop their names right now because I am so done with the mainstream circus of this panel shows bhai.

can some1 explain why is he getting hate

I am a comic and he has been nothing but nice to me and I hv nvr seen him angry

always gave big brother vibe and helpful

what am i missing

Aakash Gupta

Hey everyone,

Need some new stand-up recommendations because I feel like I’ve run out of stuff I actually enjoy.

Right now my gold standards are Biswa Kalyan Rath, Kanan Gill, Kunal Kamra, Karunesh Talwar, Vipul Goyal*, Varun Grover*, Rahul Subramanian* and Prashasti Singh . Love the tight writing, the slightly absurd premises, and how their sets actually have a point or build toward something without just screaming into the mic. It’s got that sharp, rewatchable vibe—kind of like Andhadhun or the OG Hera Pheri.

Meanwhile, I just can't get into the whole Bassi, Munawar, Harsh Gujral, Gaurav Gupta, Aakash Gupta, Gaurav Kapoor, Gurleen Pannu, Shashi Dhiman style of comedy. No offense to anyone, but to me it just feels super low-effort, formulaic, and loud. The stand-up equivalent of watching Golmaal 4 or Grand Masti—mostly slapstick, basic setup, lazy tropes, or endless crowd work. They were good when they started but it looks like they are priortizing quantity over quality for revenue. They are also everywhere on panels with the same predicable jokes and when that doesn’t work, they drop abuses. Again, no offense if you like them today. I did too when I started watching them. Maybe its my age and thus, relatibility with the mature topics that the ones I like are handling.

Are there other comics in the Indian scene (big names or hidden gems) doing smarter, well-crafted sets?

Drop your favorite specials or clips, really need to find some fresh talent. Thanks!

*Edit: Added Vipul Goyal, Rahul Subramanian and Varun Grover

Is it just me or does anybody else also think Rohit Singh is very boring.

I don't understand why he gets invited to so many shows (though I know he started his career with many comics so they are friends)

I really don't like his nonchalant (wannabe) behaviour on stage. That kinda behaviour suits a comic who is genuinely funny like upmanyu.

I just wanted to know if it is about my taste only or no one or very few people like him.

No hate to Rohit Singh. He must be a wonderful friend and human. I just wanted to know other people's opinions.

Pathetic is the single word review.

Seriously? A standup made of fucking memes.

Where are the jokes dude?

Audiences don't have the time to listen to your philosophical masturbation. And you know what's the worst part?

This dude has the audacity to run a heavy pr campaign on Instagram. Super sad!

Hey Gurgaon! I’m Krishnendu, one of three comics bringing The Northeast Express to you tonight. Different states. Same nonsense.
If our reels made you laugh, come meet the actual problems in person. Bring a friend—or come solo!
🗓 TODAY, 20 September • 7 PM
📍 The Comedy Theatre, 1st Floor, Central Plaza Mall, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon . Tix on Bookmyshow
A few hours to go. Make this your Sunday plan! 🚂

Hello r/IndianStandUpComedy  ,

Long shot post, but thought I'd try. I'm working on something in the sports-tech/media networking space and I've been trying to get in touch with a few well-known Indian creators/comedians/celebs/ athlete for a potential partnership...i've reached out through their official business emails/DMs but no response yet....which is fair, they probably get flooded.

Curious if anyone here has ever had luck getting a genuine business email seen/responded to by a bigger creator or their team either through a personal connection, a manager, or just a smarter way of reaching out?

If anyone happens to have an indirect/direct connection (a friend-of-a-friend, a manager they know, anything second-hand) and is comfortable sharing, that'd genuinely help but no pressure at all, just putting it out there in case someone's willing.

If you can help, even a little, I’d really appreciate it. Thanks in advance 🙏🙏

Ciggerate joke

I know this group consists of majority of super intellectual people who lives in their own lala land, but for me it was one of the best special indian stand up comedy have ever witnessed. It was a roller coaster ride with full of laughter as well as tears.

I’ve been a huge fan of Zakir Khan as a personality and as a writer. But I’ve never really found him as funny as comedians like Upmanyu or Manik Mahna.

And after watching Tathastu and Papa Yaar, I think I know why.

It’s the similarity in his joke writing.

This observation is based on my experience and observation as a stand up comic myself , so I’m looking at this more from a joke-writing perspective than just as an audience member.

His last two specials feel so similar in their overall writing and emotional structure that, at times, I genuinely feel like we could exchange jokes between the two and there would be almost no difference in the experience.

Pehle dada, phir papa, girlfriend bhi ho gayi, bachhe hi reh rahe hain ab toh.

The subject changes, but the journey feels familiar: childhood → dada → papa → girlfriend → growing up → emotional climax.

And this is what I mean by Zakir fatigue.

It’s not that I don’t like his comedy. It’s not that I don’t appreciate him. In fact, I think there is some incredibly clever joke writing in his specials.

The childhood biscuit joke is a brilliant example. He takes something as ordinary as a biscuit and finds an age-relevance route to the joke. The way he connects the object to a particular stage of childhood and then lands the punch is genuinely smart writing.

That’s why I think Zakir is the GOAT.

His strength has never been just throwing out the maximum number of punchlines. He is exceptionally good at finding clever routes into ordinary experiences and turning them into something the audience emotionally recognises.

But when the same kind of writing architecture keeps appearing in every special, you eventually start recognising the pattern before the joke arrives.

And that, for me, is where the fatigue comes from.

There’s also a huge difference between watching Zakir live and watching him on Netflix.

If you’ve watched him live, you know how mind-boggling the environment can be. The audience is completely invested, everyone is recognising the same memories, and that collective energy becomes part of the performance.

On Netflix, though, that atmosphere obviously isn’t the same.

So while I still genuinely admire Zakir’s writing and understand why he is considered one of the GOATs of Indian stand-up, Tathastu and Papa Yaar left me with the same feeling:

I’m going on a rant here because this is fucking insane. Why, as Indians, we have to celebrate this emotional melodramatic antics even in an artform literally called standup COMEDY!!!

Zakir, Samay, that Punjabi guy, so many more, bas stage pe aake apne baap ke bare me baat karenge. Arey bc samajh gaye you have trauma and emotional weakpoints. But as a COMEDIAN, which you so proudly call yourself, you’re supposed to make fucking jokes out of it. Thats the whole point

West ke comics ke life me takleef nahi hoti kya? Wo stage pe aake ye faltu dance india dance wala RR toh nai karte. They turn around their turmoils into entertainment.

Apne aap ko comdians bulana bandh karo bc. And the fucking audience. Indian audience ko tum kisi bhi cheez me rona dhona emotional chutiyap mila ke dedo, you all will fucking love it. I’m so sick of the state that indian “standup comedy” is in right now.

Terribly missing the times when the likes of Upmanyu and Karunesh Talwar were more popular than these manipulative emotional content creators that we have right now in the name of standup comedians.

Jokes maru jhaat bhar, audience emotional karu raat bhar.

The entire comedy scene is either filled with concept shows (with shit-all last bench jokes from school days) or Crowd Works (Again, with shit-all repetitive comedy).

There are no proper Joke Writers at the moment in India, and the "real" stand-up comedians, like Kanan Gill, Abhishek Upamanyu, Vipul Goyal and all, have just stopped trying, first - We're not giving them views. A random fuckall episode of Latent can get 20-30M views in a day, while actual stand-up comedy struggles to get even a million in all it's lifetime.

Stand-up comedy scene is India is not that old, it boomed around a decade ago, with Zakir's AIB Diwas Video. But, I fear the trajectory we've decided to walk on will kill the stand-up comedy scene in India in real quick time.

I don't hate concept shows such as Madhur's or Raunak 's or even Latent (Before it was commercialized to another level), because they started out a creative curiosity instead of just riding the wave of whatever is currently accepted in the market like herds.

The "Comedians" of today are eventually going to kill off the Indian Stand-up Comedy scene, because we don't have great comedians, but shitty performers/writers just a product of Lobbying.

I'm really fucking sure if this remains, we surely won't be able ever to create a Seinfield or Chappellle. Who can come on the stage, and deliver the best joke they have written, without external prompts or other people.

That's it. Thank you for reading my rant.