The Rising Stars Of Comedy That You Need To Follow Right Now

“A tragedy is a tragedy, and at the bottom, all tragedies are stupid. Give me a choice and I’ll take A Midsummer Night’s Dreamover Hamlet every time. Any fool with steady hands and a working set of lungs can build up a house of cards and then blow it down, but it takes a genius to make people laugh.” – Stephen King says about Comedy.

That’s something these stars of comedy, are adept in doing. Their witty, ingenious, sarcastic and plain outtakes on everything normal and mundane, makes life seem wonderfully good. They are young ( kinda ) and very much redefining the culture of happiness around the nation. Presenting to you Ladies and Gentlemen the rising stars of comedy (stand-up version) in no particular order of preference ( and no we aren’t talking about AIB, Biswa, Kanan, Kenny and such, who basically everyone knows) . Here we go :

Sapan Verma :

A comedian, a writer, and a teacher as well, Sapan Verma marked his niche through various script-works, and collaborations, most notably co-founding EIC (East India Company). A noted humour columnist of Times Of India, DNA and Deccan Chronicle, Sapan Verma is well known in the industry for his scripts for mega events, like IIFA, Life OK, and his pet project EIC Vs Bollywood and such. Sapan Verma has thus become one of the biggest names in stand-up comedy circuit owing to his accolades in 1 billion-plus YouTube views and counting.

https://youtu.be/tMjQGmN2VgQ

Sahil Shah :

The second founding pillar of East India Company comedy troupe, Sahil Shah with sarcastic takes on everything involving Indian families and purposeful matters. Sahil Shah with sarcastic takes on everything involving Indian families and purposeful matters. Someone who laughs before cracking a joke, and then laughs again, ( a very warm way of performing an act ) Sahil Shah is that buddy of yours, you know will make the party alive. And chicks dig him. Added Advantage. Sahil Shah has also appeared on TV features like Channel V’s ‘You’re Fired’ and ‘The Front Row’ with Star World.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzBMY8HgKAg

Zakir Khan :

An Indor-ian by birth, this raw and brawn comedian, made his mark through his Delhi dreams and earthly humble slow talking commentaries. Zakir Khan has clearly made a huge impact in comedy circuit, by sticking to the roots ( almost wearing them on his sleeve ) and opening up the doors for pure and highly imaginative acts and gigs. He surged through the circuit after winning ‘India’s Best Stand-Up Comedian’ by Comedy Central.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in4RXMJlEVk

Sumukhi Suresh :

When you hear about ‘Better Life Foundation’ or the recent weirdly hilarious web series ‘ Behti Naak’ on YouTube, you are looking at one of the wittiest ladies online, Sumukhi Suresh. A frequent collaborator with other stand-up comics like Naveen Richards and Sanjay Manaktala ( also in this feature ), this Bangalore-based comedienne has come to be famous through ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ anthem in which she stars as ‘The Anu Aunty’. She maintains that her insecurities have translated into highly realistic comedy and that makes her stand tall in front of millions of fans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FdTkiZykuE

Jeeveshu Ahluwalia :

Jeeveshu is supercool, Fair n Cute PUN-jabi in the comedy world. His comedy career began as an extension to his antics at a mundane desk job. His humour style is derived from observational everyday conversations, quirky monologues, peculiar situations and some eccentric friends. Endowed with a rare snappy sense of humour and a vivacious flair for comedy, Jeeveshu has risen notably from a novice to an audience favourite across all ages. (Source : Quora, don’t know if he wrote this himself!)

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

Neeti Palta :

Her official page goes something like this – Neeti brings to the English stand-up comedy scene in India what it sorely lacks – a female perspective. Therefore she has the unique advantage of being able to present a female point of view on a variety of subjects from the life of a woman in India, Indian idiosyncrasies, to daily irritants, current affairs, etc, while indulging in a spot of poking fun at men (ok, a lot of that!)’. Don’t we all just love her for that? Neeti has performed at Melbourne Comedy Fest in 2013, going to win the Best Stand Up Comedian award. In Neeti, we believe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-8nKNFGbj0

Sundeep Rao :

Sundeep Rao is India’s only blind comic… actually partially blind! He brings his comic foresight, which unlike his sight is rather clear’ says this hilariously witty Bangalore-based comic. A former IT employee this maverick comedian burst out to the big stage when he collaborated with funny man Vir Das at Amateur night. The heart of his matter comes from his general observations and real life characters. “I will always have a distinct perspective on things because I have a filter through which I view life”, says Sundeep Rao explaining his methodology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7INvXtt9po

Rajasekhar Mamidanna :

Rajasekhar ( also known as RSM on the circuit ) is a Techie with sharp observatory wit and humour. A protege of India’s funny man Rivaldo aka Nitin Gupta, Raja has established a benchmark for the comedy scene in Hyderabad, which now has really come to fore, many thanks to collab acts of Hyderabadass Comedy Club and Funny Side Up. Talking to Deccan Chronicle a while back Raja went onto explain his ethos for the job, “I ensure that there is interaction with the people but I don’t put anyone down. But it is only a matter of time before people can take a joke.” One to portray earthly humour in a crafty techie manner, RSM is ready to rock n roll on the international circuit now.

https://youtu.be/M3Rg37YAeME

Karthik Kumar :

The suave and stylish, eternal NRI bridegroom of Tamil movies, Karthik Kumar has marked his niche with hyper dynamic humour style ( the sheer energy this Chennai-based comedian has is mind boggling ). Karthik Kumar the founder of Evam Tamasha Comedy group, South India’s biggest comedy movement, Karthik has something to say about practically everything, from software jobs in India to Airport ethics or even Indian mentality in Gifting routines. Truly, someone you need to follow ASAP..!

https://youtu.be/M0vZ1cXTSUU

Varun Thakur :

A struggling actor who was rejected regularly became a standup comedian who was lauded dearly. That’s Varun Thakur for you. An Integral part of yet another comedy movement called SnG Comedy, Varun Thakur‘s solo acts have always been a sell out phenomenon over the country. With a good mix of personal stories, observational humor, impersonations and bad bio writing skills he’s an act you shouldn’t miss are what his official bio says, aptly describing his wit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehGVUDYq3VA

Vikramjit Singh :

This slow talking super smart Surd, is comedy circuits latest blue eyed boy (man..more like). With his latest series which go by the name TurbanLegends is a slice of life comedy set depicting various facets of Delhi life are just the kind of subtle comedy you want. “Sleepwalked into advertising after collecting an engineering degree. Sell soap, insurance policies and other products, and a bit of my soul with each. Fittingly, I’m based out of Delhi, thriving on the city’s food and food for thought” reads his funny as his acts bio. Check him out

https://youtu.be/V7Quw_EZroQ

Sanjay Manaktala :

Mr.International of Our comedy stars list here, Sanjay has been performing all over the world, before landing and practically redefining Bangalore-based comedy circuit. After he relocated to India from LA, Sanjay started performing all over the country with his performing group The Polished Bottoms along with fellow comedians Sundeep Rao ( above ) and Praveen Kumar. A writer, a techie, and a short filmmaker, this multi-blessed comic, is winning accolades all over for his dicey, yet funny IT profession acts.

https://youtu.be/yWF4GvrjPsc

Daniel Fernandes :

Ever had a craving for some Dark and Realistic comedy? Ever wondered if serious social issues could be weaved into a comedy framework? Daniel Fernandes is your man then. This Mumbai-based comedian tackles issues many wouldn’t usually, and still ingeniously makes you laugh at their existence. Comedy for awareness is something of his speciality. Daniel is a regular collaborator with other comedy stalwarts like AIB, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Radhika Vaz, Kanan Gill etc. A Couple of years ago, he made his screen debut as well, sharing space with Nawazuddin Siddique in the movie Manjhi : The Mountain Man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SBy9gUzFKQ

Aditi Mittal :

“I just want to tell jokes. I want to be in rooms where people laugh. And I want to tell truths”, says Aditi Mittal, a Pune-based comedienne who has been instrumental in the revival of comedy scene around the country with her works by becoming one of the first female stand-up comics on the circuit. Aditi has been rated amongst India’s top 10 stand-up comedians by The Times of India. She is featured in CNNIBN.com as top 30 witty, intelligent and incredibly funny Indian women to follow on Twitter. Aditi has written columns and articles in Grazia Men magazine, DNA and Firstpost.com and Financial Times (UK, Weekend Edition). A true champion of the trade, Aditi Mittal is someone you should practically stalk on YouTube!

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

Apuurv Gupta

This Hinglish StandUp comedian is perhaps the third ( maybe fourth ) techie to choose comedic scene over his corporate job. Appurv graduated from Jaypee IIT, Noida, but since chose that comedy was his thing. Aren’t we glad he did? His repertoire consists of numerous digs at anything related to Bollywood movies. His most applauded act is Appurview – Laugh with an Engineer which describes life from the point-of-view of an engineer. Gupta was ranked second in “Top 20 Indian stand-up comedian in 2014” by CNN-IBN, and was shortlisted in the Forbes India 100 Celebrity nominees list of 2015 by Forbes India.

https://youtu.be/6F-vNzRB1hw