Standup Comedy: Comedy has many forms, sketch comedy, mime comedy and so on. Standup Comedy is an art form that has been with us from the period ages, this craft is a very original and authentic art form, it is performed by one individual in front of the audience. 

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Genres

This art form has many genres, Alternative, Anecdotal, Character, Deadpan, Impressionist, Insult, Musical, Observational, Satire, Topical, Wordplay Comedy, Self-Deprecating. 

Indian Standup Evolution

In India, the evolution of stand-up comedy has transformed the art form into a mainstream phenomenon and cultural powerhouse that uses multiple languages to connect with millions. Standup Comedians perform the shows live and they upload those live performances on youtube as clips. 

Pre-Internet Era

Comedy in India thrived in different forms, before the internet boom, Comedy was fairing well in India. 

Chakyar Koothu

This act is performed in Kerala and has a centuries old history, the act uses solo comedic commentary and social satire. 

Stage Performers

Before the 2000’s comedians like Boman Irani and Bharat Dabholkar performed at corporate events and private affairs. This kind of comedy was limited and confined to only small events.  

Television comedians

Comedians performed acts on Television, Jaspal Bhatti and Gurpreet Singh were popular with their TV shows, they made sitcoms.

The TV catalyst

The major evolution happened in the 2000’s when Television channels introduced stand-up competitions, this brought the genre to a mass audience.  

The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (2005)

This is a reality television series that served as a major breakthrough, this show familiarized Indian audiences with the Stand-Up format. 

Rise of early stars

This show launched Kapil Sharma and Raju Srivastav into the comedy world. Kapil Sharma grew with this show and now is one of the most followed comedians and admired personalities, he is now the highest paid comedian in the country. He has the most popular show in the country. 

The professional boom

In the early 2010’s stand-up scene grew because of dedicated clubs and more organized events. Comedians Vir Das and Papa CJ performed extensively across the country and conducted workshops for the upcoming talent.  

Modern Trends and Challenges 

Stand-up Comedy is continuously evolving into new formats with changing societal dynamics. Streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix started TV shows and Comedy competitions which encouraged new talent and a new set of comedians with different styles and acts evolved. 

Challenges

Nonetheless, throughout its history comedians faced criticism on their expression and choice of languages, many a times comedians are even sent to jail for performing their act. The topic of discussions is also heavily monitored and this gives comedians a limited range of topics to perform.

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