In the last decade, the Indian stand up comedy has evolved and has become a thriving entertainment industry with millions of adoring fans. It’s funny how in the current social climate people are totally okay with the expression of hate, but anything that remotely has an expression of love or harmony is swerved. In these rough and uncertain times, people bond and form a community of sorts and this is where the stand up comedy culture arises. 

Comedy today has become a means of bringing people together, and social media has revolutionised the way we consume content. Various comedians are now utilising their social media space to make people laugh because making your audience laugh is the hardest thing to do. We live in the times where comedy has become a means to connect with your friends and family as it brings people closer. 

We have compiled a list of top standup indian comedians who make us laugh uncontrollably and you should follow them too:

1. Zakir Khan

      He is an standup Indian comedian and actor and in 2012 he rose to popularity, by winning Comedy Central India’s best standup competition. He has more than 6 million subscribers on youtube and is known for works like his Amazon prime special Haq se single. His popular catchphrase ‘sakht launda’ which refers to a guy who has an immense amount of self respect and does not fall for girls easily has made him quite popular. Khan was also a judge on The great Indian laughter challenge in 2017 alongside actor Akshay Kumar. Khan has a huge fan following and his videos often go viral.

2. Abhishek Upmanyu 

He is one of popular stand up indian comedians and has over 2 million subscribers on youtube. In 2015, he joined ‘on air with AIB’ as a writer. His comedy shows- ‘Thoda saaf bol’ and ‘jealous of Sabziwala’ have been immensely popular. His stand up acts are hilarious and his shows are extremely funny and popular and Upamanu makes it to the top stand up comedians list, his jokes will leave you wanting more. 

3. Kunal Kamra 

If you are active and up to date with stand up comedy in India then Kunal Kamra is one name you can’t possibly ignore. His performances are usually on politics, bachelor life, Tv advertisements and social developments in our country. Although his jokes often land him in a soup, his observational comedy on life makes him stand out as a comedian. In 2017, he launched his own podcast show called ‘Shut up ya Kunal’, his content is very polarising but the audience loves his candour and boldness. 

4. Vir Das

He is an Indian-American comedian, actor and musician and his comedy shows are a great attraction especially for the major english speaking audience. In 2017, Das’s Netflix special Abroad Understanding was released and he became the first comedian to have a show on this platform. He tours all over the USA and his comedy shows are always sold out. He has now become a global star and is also a columnist and musician. 

5. Abish Mathew 

He is a stand up comedian and youtuber and has over 1.09 million subscribers. He is best known for his work with All India Bakchod and host of the late night show Son of Abish. His humour and comedy is always on point, he worked as a radio jockey before finally switching to stand up comedy. 

6. Anubhav Singh Bassi

A qualified lawyer, this 31 year old is an Indian comedian and specialises in anecdotal comedy. He is also a youtube sensation with over 3 million subscribers on youtube and more than a million followers on instagram. He has done his comedy shows across 35 cities in India and he has delivered TED Talk too about his struggles. 

7. Kanan Gill

He is a comedian, youtuber and actor and came into limelight for hosting the youtube series called Pretentious Movie Reviews, where he reviewed bollywood movies that were widely panned at the box office. He made his bollywood debut with the film Noor,in 2017 opposite Sonakshi Sinha. In 2020, his comedy special Yours Sincerely was released on Netflix and was widely appreciated. 

8. Kenny Sebastian 

He is an Indian stand up comedian, filmmaker and musician and his comedy is loved by all. He performs primarily in English, and he has toured internationally in countries like Singapore, United States of America and Australia.  He released his special The Most Interesting Person In The Room on Netflix in 2020.

9. Atul Khatri

He is a Mumbai based businessman who ventured into comedy in his 40’s. Khatri was also one of the three finalists at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival held in Delhi in 2012 and he joined East India comedy in 2012 but in 2017 left the group, to focus on his individual career. His comedy is class apart and he has today become one of the top stand up comedians in the country. 

10. Sapan Verma

He is one of the most popular stastand-upmedians and is also the co-founder of the popular East- India comedy. In 2016, he released his first comedy special titled Obsessive Comedic Disorder on Amazon Prime Video, and also appeared as a judge on Comicstaan Season 1.Sapan has done over 1500 live shows across India, Singapore, Dubai, Tokyo to name a few.

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