Some would say Rahul Dua, but there are plenty of others to choose from. Zakir Khan, Abhishek Upmanyu, and Vipul Goyal all get their share of laughs from the stage, but which one is the witty stand-up comedian in India? Let’s find out. This article will look at four stand-up comedians and their influence on Indian comedy.
Rahul Dua
Rahul is one of India’s most witty stand-up comedians, an investment banker by day. He worked in the banking sector for 18 months in Mumbai before switching to a stand-up career. Rahul has also had a stint on Star TV along with his comedy. Here’s a brief profile of the best stand-up comedian in India. You won’t believe your eyes, but Rahul is hilarious and incredibly relatable.
Born in Ludhiana, Punjab, Rahul Dua studied electronics and communication at Thapar University. He also obtained his MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi. His academic achievements have backed his high-achieving career. He achieved a perfect score of 99.4 percentile in the CAT exam, a test that reveals the quotient of a candidate’s ability to excel in his field. After graduation, he worked in various companies and banks and was selected for the Faculty of Management Studies in Delhi.
While working at Nokia, Rahul discovered his passion for stand-up comedy. After working for a year as an intern, he began performing at the Connaught Palace in Delhi and has become a full-time comedian. After performing at a few open mics, he was soon able to turn his passion into a career. While the audience’s response to his comedy shows is ecstatic, many laugh aloud.
Zakir Khan
In addition to his many shows on YouTube, Zakir Hussain is also a famous producer. His critically acclaimed web series, Chacha Vidhayak Hai Hamare, was a smashing success, and he has also served as a mentor on Amazon Prime Video’s Comicstaan. His podcast, Ummeed, is one of the most popular in India.
As one of the best stand-up comedians in India, Zakir Khan is known for his satirical humor, capturing common emotions found in Indian households. His unique take on humor has won him many fans around the world. If you’ve ever seen him live, you’ll know that he has been praised by critics and audiences alike. And his stand-up comedy shows are sold out globally!
His YouTube videos have earned him the title of “the wittiest stand-up comedian in India.” In his live shows, Khan has won several awards and is one of the top performers on the network. Regardless of age, he can add humor to even the most mundane situations. And he’s only 40 years old, making him one of the most popular stand-up comedians in India.
Abhishek Upmanyu
The most popular and witty stand-up comedian in India, Abhishek Upmanyu, began his career by performing at private functions. He is now regarded as one of the best comedians in India and is considered a rising star in the comedy industry. His videos have received more than a hundred million views on YouTube, and he has almost 2.5 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
Although he has only been a stand-up comedian for a few years, Upmanyu has a considerable fan base. He has a Facebook page with over lakh followers and is highly sought after by fans. His fan page is packed with messages asking for more videos. He is also a fan of cats and has a huge female following. Upmanyu has a massive following on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @gareebguy.
Born in Delhi, Abhishek Upmanyu is a chemical engineer by qualification. He has worked as a research analyst for a chemical company and is currently a writer for On Air with AIB. Since then, he has performed stand-up comedy for several audiences on the show. Another witty stand-up comedian in India is Abish Mathew, who started as a radio jockey in Delhi before moving into stand-up comedy. He has also hosted several YouTube stars and Bollywood stars.
Vipul Goyal
Vipul Goyal is a prominent stand-up comedian from India who rose to fame after his role in Humorously Yours; a TVF show that chronicles a comic’s journey from the early stages of comedy to the success of his show. This witty and charming comedian has also been a famous actor and is the founder of the digital entertainment channel The Viral Fever. Vipul Goyal has been hailed as the “Indian Seinfeld” and has performed in various colleges and media platforms. His comedy has received widespread attention for his unique style and take on current affairs.
Vipul Goyal was born in Falna, Rajasthan, to a middle-class family. He completed his schooling at St. Mary’s High School in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, and then went on to study Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Mumbai. After his graduation, he developed an interest in comedy, and it is said that his height has increased considerably.
Neeti Palta
One of the most popular stand-up comics in India is Neeti Palta. A self-proclaimed “comic nerd,” Neeti was able to find success in stand-up comedy after a few stumbling blocks. In 2004, she finished working at a successful advertising agency and was named ‘Best Stand-Up Comic’ at Oz Fest. That same year, she became the first Indian stand-up comic to perform at Melbourne Comedy Festival. Since then, she has served more than 30 countries, including former UN Secretary-General Dr. Shashi Tharoor, and she has appeared on TEDx panels.
Neeti started her career in advertising. She worked at J Walter Thompson, which is a well-known advertising agency. However, after a year, she decided to quit her job and pursue her stand-up career full-time. After a few years, she won the RAW Comedy Competition organized by OZ Fest. Neeti’s stand-up act was soon viewed on YouTube by millions of viewers.
Kunal Gupta
He is currently on tour with his stand-up show in India and has already won Comicstaan Season-2. Born and raised in New Delhi, Kunal Gupta completed his education at the Delhi University and participated in several plays. His stand-up comedy is an irreverent take on the life of a middle-class Indian family. He can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
His show, Shut Up Ya Kunal!, has gone viral on YouTube, where he has attracted a large audience. Guests have included Arvind Kejriwal, Javed Akhtar, Ravish Kumar, and Asaduddin Owaisi. He has also appeared on television, and his stand-up comedy act has won awards in the UK.
Another stand-up comedian in India who has become immensely popular is Aakash Gupta. He has won several open-mic nights in Delhi. He is a journalist by profession and has recently been rated as one of the best Indian comedians by CNN-IBN. His comedy is witty and satirical, bringing to life everyday situations that make us laugh.
Raunaq Rajani
The Indian comedy scene is full of hilarious comedians. The upcoming generation of comedians has already started showcasing their talents. One such comedian is Raunaq Rajani. This 22-year-old Mumbai-based comic has become a rising star thanks to his role on TLC’s Queens of Comedy. He has performed all over the country and collaborated with celebrities such as Kanan Gill and Kunal Kamra. Raunaq has also worked on numerous projects as a writer, apart from performing on stage.
Known for his witty stand-up comedy, Raunaq Rajani has a huge fan following among women. His unique style of humor has won him fans across the country, including in the media. His stand-up routines are humorous, and he often skewers the middle-class lifestyle. Moreover, his funny stories are often based on the actual experiences of his audience.
Kanan Gill
Indian audiences have been delighted by the talent of Kanan Gill, who is an acclaimed actor and witty stand-up comic. He has been seen in films such as Noor and Pretentious Movie Reviews. Known for his candid and insightful comments on life, he has worked in improvised sketch comedy shows on Comedy Central and Amazon Prime Video. In 2017, he made his acting debut in Noor. He also launched his Keep It Real stand-up special on Amazon Prime Video. In 2020, he was releasing another stand-up special on Netflix, ‘Yours Sincerely.’
Initially, Kanan Gill was a software engineer before he found success as a stand-up comedian. He quit his engineering job and now splits his time between live gigs and online video content. Gill has over 502k subscribers on his YouTube channel and is followed on Twitter and Instagram. As a result, his work has gained a worldwide audience. In addition to YouTube, Gill has 218k subscribers and more than 691k followers on Twitter.
Comics’ cognitive styles are different from that of the average person. While the neurotic personality of the average person isn’t exceptionally high, comedians tend to be creative, open, and less conscientious than their counterparts. They’re also suspicious and critical of others, despite the distance they often have to observe human behavior. While these differences might seem strange, they’re a good indicator of what makes comedians tick.
Introverted anhedonia
The link between comedy and depression has long been observed and discussed. At the same time, despite many theories about the relationship, depression therapy is a valuable relief for those who suffer from this disorder. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy study centers, such as the one in Chicago, specialize in treating depressed individuals. Here’s how it works. Introverted anhedonia refers to a deficit in the ability to feel pleasure when other people laugh.
Researchers have found that comedy professionals are more likely to suffer from the symptoms of the schizoaffective disorder than the general population. However, they haven’t yet discovered why comedians suffer from this disorder. The first theory proposes that comedy professionals suffer from unsociable moods. This concept is based on a study of five23 comedians compared to 364 people in other creative fields.
According to Claridge, comedians exhibit two conflicting personality traits, introverted anhedonia, and extraverted impulsiveness. Like actors, comedians are often emotionally flat and suffer from clinical depression. Their resulting humor may result from their unique outlook on the world. However, other studies have contradicted Claridge’s findings, and studies of female comedians are limited. Therefore, this study may be invalid or even contradictory.
In a study conducted in 2012, psychologists observed that people classified with introverted anhedonia had a higher risk of self-harm than those classified as outgoing or emotional. This association may be because comedians are brilliant, but they have trouble connecting with others and feel lonely and unloved. Even though their personality characteristics may contribute to their affliction, the study also showed that humor could help them decrease the social distance between people.
Extroverted impulsiveness
A study conducted by Oxford University psychologist Victoria Ando examined the impulsivity of 523 male and female comedians. The comedians filled out an online questionnaire that measured four psychological traits associated with psychotic tendencies. The traits included cognitive disorganization, distractibility, and impulsive nonconformity. Compared to the general population, the comedians scored higher on extroverted and introverted personality traits.
Some researchers have claimed that professional comedians exhibit higher levels of neuroticism and agreeableness than amateurs. However, point estimates have not reached statistical significance, probably because the comedians are not significantly different from the average person. Some researchers believe that the lack of power in the studies may explain the low levels of significance. According to Feist and Greengross (2009), comedians are slightly more neurotic than ordinary people. However, their levels of agreeableness are virtually identical to those of the average population.
In addition to introversion, comedians exhibit higher levels of extroverted impulsivity than the average person. This may be due to their tendency to associate odd things with each other. This manic behavior is similar to the thinking in bipolar disorder. Whether these traits are actual or fiction is unknown, but they are all remarkably similar. The authors suggest that their findings do not mean that comedians are more prone to psychotic tendencies than ordinary people.
Distaste for humanity
A recent study examining distaste for humanity in comedians has found a greater rate than among non-performers. The findings show that comedians and actors tend to experience reduced social and physical pleasure than the general population. However, distaste for humanity in comedians does not necessarily translate into psychotic symptoms. McGraw is skeptical of the study’s findings.
Melancholy
The role of melancholy in comedy is often discussed in the context of the character Hamlet. Shakespeare and Robert Burton, who wrote under the pseudonym of ‘Democritus Junior’ – the heir to an ancient Greek philosopher who drew comic relief from the world’s follies – both exploit the comic potential of melancholy in their works. Burton writes about melancholy with mixed passion’.
The concept of melancholy was first explored in Shakespeare’s plays, and he often uses it as a metaphor for his melancholic characters. Shakespeare’s plays and feelings have a rich history of melancholy, and many writers have used it to explore the relationship between comedy and melancholy. An excellent way to start a discussion of melancholy in comedy is to look at the term’s history.
Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy (published five years after Shakespeare) compiled ideas about melancholy from ancient Greece to the seventeenth century. Burton considered melancholy as an ‘inbred malady’ in all of us. He admitted being offended by the term but deemed sad a valid condition for comedy.
The study also revealed that melancholics are typically highly analytical and are perfectionists. Similarly, melancholics are usually aware of their limits. They seldom take on more than they can handle and are not afraid to admit their limitations. The study did not examine female comedians, which would be challenging. So what can we learn from studying melancholy in comedy?
Occupational hazards
Performing on stage and talking into microphones are physical and emotional jobs that can present several occupational risks for comedians. While there are ways to reduce the risk of injury, it’s crucial to note that comedians are not immune to such threats. Many clubs offer free drinks for comedians, and it can be challenging to get a decent night’s sleep after such a busy day. Occupational hazards for comedians include substance abuse and sleep deprivation.
Humor as a coping mechanism for melancholy
The earliest known evidence for humor as a coping strategy for melancholy dates back to the 16th century. Humor is an adult defense strategy that uses humor to distract from negative thoughts and emotions. Humor uses a more sophisticated cognitive process and involves more significant distraction. In a study conducted in 1996, humor reduced negative feelings in people with a history of depression.
The coping mechanism of the yuppies was to numb their melancholy through material possessions. In the same way, a coping mechanism for melancholy can be a positive and effective way to distract from difficult moments. Humor in the form of movies can distract us from our painful feelings and help us move on. Likewise, beekeepers use humor as a coping mechanism for melancholy in the form of beekeeping and giggling.
In another study, researchers looked at the relationship between humor and depression. They tested whether people who suffer from depression use more negative or positive humor than non-depressed people. The study also explored the genetic underpinnings of humor and depression. While humor as a coping mechanism for melancholy is an integral part of our lives, it can also detriment our mental health.