No Kidding: Comedy Is Serious Business

Charlie Chaplin once said: “Without laughter is a day wasted.” Laughing is as important in your daily life as breathing. But making people laugh is a very serious business. While it took some time for the Indian audience to warm up to the concept of stand-up comedy, lately, it is considered as one of the fastest growing entertainment business in India. And budding talents are making their best efforts to do what they are good at: giving their audience a fun-filled evening. Companies like Weird Ass, The East India Comedy, AIB (All India Bakchod), Schitz en Giggles now stand at the forefront of 'new-generation' comedy.

Speaking to Boom News, Daniel Fernandes, 30, owner of Microphone Entertainment, remarked: "The industry is doing much better than I hoped. I've not invested in the scene only as a performer. I've also invested in the business side. The market is slowly opening up. Comedians are now breaking up as stars, building up fan following, which is now converting into ticket sales. But we still have a lot to do.” Daniel is also a part of Weird Ass Company owned by one of the finest stand-up Indian comedian Vir Das.

Two young talents grabbing the limelight in the comedy business are Bengalureans Kanan Gill and Biswa Kalyan Rath. These mid-20 IIT grads left their lucrative jobs to pursue their first love - comedy. Just about six months into the field of entertainment, Kanan and Biswa gained popularity overnight with 'Pretentious movie reviews', a series of videos reviewing crazy Bollywood movies of all times. Biswa told BoomNews: “I have just quit my job and I'm on notice period."

When asked about the comedy business in India, Kanan replies: "Stand-up comedy is doing quite well in India, and I am a late entrant into the scene." Adds Kenny Sebastian, another comedian from Bengaluru: “The scene is bigger than it now is... and there are not enough comedians in India as yet.”

So, is this turning out to be another male-dominated industry? Sebastian says: "Women are extremely intelligent and they crack some really intelligent jokes about perception, life, etc. It makes us go back and rethink on our jokes. I encourage women to take up this profession and look forward to their active participation."

Here’s a look at the candid conversations BoomNews had with these young comedians:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXVwfa_ffW0