Laughter is the best medicine. It makes you forget your discomforts, stress, worries, and sadness, even if it’s for a second, and in that second, you experience the pure joy which releases happy hormones, making you more content in the long term.
Famous comedian Sunil Grover once said, ‘Believe me, I can do ten other things to earn money, but I chose comedy because I’m doing a noble thing by making people laugh .’ India witnessed a remarkable change in its comedy shows, from watching laughter shows on their television screens while having dinner with family to the rampage of stand-up comedy and comedians; in the last decade, we have come a long way. Here is a list of the top 15 stand-up comedians who made us laugh out loud over the years to begin your 2023 on a funny note:
Zakir Khan
‘Sakht launda’, ‘Badal important hai,’ ‘Hmm.. acha.. okay’, think of Zakir Khan, and you can hear these sentences in his voice in your head; that is how much celebrated he is as a comedian. Zakir’s career began after he won ‘India’s best stand-up comedy competition’ in 2012 and there’s been no looking back since then. Zakir has done two shows, ‘Haq Se Single’ and ‘Kaksha Gyarvi’ with Amazon Prime Video, which was an instant hit. He also appeared on the New year’s eve episode of Kapil Sharma Show in 2022.
Suggested Show: Tathastu Zakhir khan Comedy Show
Anubhav Singh Bassi
Lawyer, UPSC aspirant, entrepreneur, no, these aren’t different career suggestions for you; these are all the careers Bassi ventured into before he found his true calling as a stand-up comedian. Beginning his career in 2017 after an open mic and winning ‘Youth icon of the year ’ by Golden Glory Awards in 2021, he sure has come a long way. ‘Roommate’, and ‘hostel’ are among his most loved acts having more than 100 million views combined.
Abhishek Upmanyu
With 4.81 million subscribers on his youtube channel and 1.5 million Instagram followers, Abhishek is one of the most loved and hilarious stand-up comedians. His acts like ‘Porn,’ ‘Friends, crime & the cosmos,’ ‘Delhi, Mumbai & rich people’ are hilarious, and you should check them out if you haven’t already. Abhishek has an engineering degree, and before beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, he worked with Ranbaxy.
Aditi Mittal
A trailblazer in the world of Indian stand-up comedy, began her career when stand-up comedy wasn’t this common, worked her way up, and today, she is known among the best stand-up comedians India has. She is known for her ‘thought-provoking ‘ acts on topics like ‘Bra shopping,’ ‘Sanitary napkins,’ and ‘Bollywood remakes,’ among others.
Atul Khatri
Here’s a 54-year-old stand-up comedian to remind you that age is just a number. He gives tough competition to his young peers and will undoubtedly leave you roaring with laughter. Atul Khatri is known for his witty content, rants, hilarious tweets, and engaging YouTube comments. He is an engineer, has an MBA degree, and is the CEO of his family business along with the winner of ‘CEO’s got talent season 1.
Aishwarya Mohanraj
Aishwarya is known for her quick comic timing and admirable confidence. She was among the top 10 contestants in Comicstaan and has written for shows like Bheti Naak, On Air with AIB, One Mic Stand, and Son of Abish ever since. ‘My first relationship’ and ‘My pregnancy test’ are among her most famous acts. She married her long-time beau, Akash Shah, in October 2022.
Kenny Sebastian
Kenneth Mathew Sebastian is not only a stand-up comedian but also a musician and filmmaker. His videos will brighten up your dull day with laughter and chuckles. His famous acts include ‘Dating rules Indian guys need to follow,’ ‘Exams schools punishments,’ ‘Middle-class family vs hi-end restaurant,’ and ‘Indian parents unspoken laws.’ Kenny is also a judge on Comicstaan.
Jaspreet Singh
Jaspreet Singh is an eminent comedian in the Indian comedy circuit. His videos have garnered over 50 Million views with back-to-back viral videos. He has had close to 450 live performances, making over ten thousand people laugh in India, UAE, UK, and Australia. ‘Dad savings aur milk’, ‘Ghar ki talaash’, ‘Girlfriend’, and ‘Stupid log, alcohol aur gaaliyan’ are among his most famous acts.
Gaurav Gupta
Hailing from a small town in Uttar Pradesh, Gaurav Gupta went on to create a mark for himself in the Indian comedy world. He is known for his hilarious content on Indian families and society; as most comedians, what sets him apart from his peers are his rib-tickling expressions.
And delivery of dialogues. ‘Baniya and his Punjabi dost,’ ‘Delhi NCR’, and ‘Daughter’ are some of his hysterical acts.
Sumukhi Suresh
Actor, writer, and director, and being a fab stand-up comedian, she does it all and makes it look easy or shall we say, funny! She was referred to as ‘India’s Tina Fey’ in an article by Hindustan Times. She started comedy at a food testing and certification company in Bangalore. Sumukhi starred in ‘Pushpavalli’ season 1 and 2. ‘I run when my mom calls,’ ‘Women don’t love,’ and ‘Behti Naak’ are some of her hysterical acts along with her other amazing content.
Vipul Goel
Vipul spearheaded ‘clean comedy’ by moulding simple mundane things in such a way that makes his audience convulsed with laughter. He is often referred to as ‘Indian Seinfeld ‘ owing to his observational, improvisational comedy and satires. Vipul is an electrical engineer who graduated from IIT Bombay. His acts on ‘Modi ji,’ ‘Indian Bikers,’ ‘Bahu ki sleeveless & Indians on the internet’, and ‘Adult vs Babies’ are among some of his most viral works.
Kunal Kamra
Kunal’s story of entry into the world of stand-up comedy is as distinct as his content. He rose to fame thanks to his hilarious tweets. On seeing the positive response his tweets were getting, Kunal started his Youtube chat series by the name of ‘Shut up ya Kunal’, where he hosted a wide range of guests from politicians to filmmakers; this accelerated his growth as a standup comedian who became widely popular. ‘Patriotism & the Government’, ‘Finding a taxi’, and ‘Bombay Indore’ are a few of his prominent acts.
Rahul Subramanian
Rahul Subramanian is a stand-up comedian known for delivering his punches in a slow manner explaining the lack of logic that prevails in our society. He received his breakthrough when he was offered his show on Amazon Prime Video, ‘Kal Main Udega’. His Youtube channel by the name of ‘Random Chikibum’ features his uproarious acts, ‘Break up & MBA’, ‘Bangalore,’ ‘Housemaid’, and ‘North Indians vs South Indians, a few out of the lot.
Amit Tandon
Singer, musician, television actor, and undoubtedly stand-up comedian are some of the hats that Amit dons. First stand-up comic to have a Hindi solo on Netflix, with over 1500 shows across 33 countries and over 150 Million views on his Youtube channel, this MBA and engineer by profession who started comedy as a hobby, is here for the long haul. Some of his famous acts include ‘First drinking experience,’ ‘Indian middle-class symbols,’ ‘Women are more important,’ and ‘Arrange Marriage.’
Vir Das
The GOAT was breaking records in the stand-up world when it wasn’t even a scene in India. He acted in various Bollywood movies like Badmaash Company, Delhi Belly, and Go Goa Gone. In 2019, Das debuted on American television with a series called, ‘Whisky Cavalier.’ His recent show, ‘Vir Das: Landing’ on Netflix, is a huge hit. His other stand-ups on Netflix, ‘Hasmukh,’ ‘For India,’ ‘Virdas: Inside out,’ and ‘Virdas: Outside In,’ are worth checking out.
