Behind the laugh lines

Today,the Indian stand-up scene is bigger than ever before. Apart from stage shows across cities,the comedians also perform at corporate shows and private functions. But while they’re constantly churning out new content to keep their sets fresh,most of them,like Mittal,credit their experience across industries for their success.

Comedian Sorabh Pant owes his success to his stint as a writer earning “hundreds of rupees” for columns,travel pieces and television scripts. In an attempt to do more than that,he went though a phase when he tried his hand at modelling. “But I was told I am too short to be a model. A casting agent even said I was too ugly,” recollects Pant,laughing. “But when I met stand-up comedian Vir Das,he encouraged me to try out stand-up comedy.” Over the last three years,Pant found success as a funnyman and went on to collaborate on several projects with Das,who is also a Bollywood actor as well as musician. He also bagged his own show ‘Pant on Fire’,which went on a multi-city tour. Despite having enough stage work to live off comfortably,Pant hasn’t let his focus veer away from writing. The 30-year-old’s first novel,The Wednesday Soul — a comic story told from the after-life — released this month. “Now I’m a writer,a stand-up and a failed model,” he laughs.

But careers of all comedians do not have roots in the creative industry. With an MBA from the University of Houston,Karan Talwar is the director of Valiant Marine,a firm works with clients in the shipping industry. While he does have a few jokes about life at sea,he mostly derives inspiration from occasional boredom at work. Outside of his profession,he has co-founded Shitzengiggles,a group featuring stand-up and improv comedy. Yet,he still loves his job for allowing him the financial security to do stand-up on his own terms. “Even comedy can be quite intense at times,with very high expectations to keep the content fresh and current,so I’m glad to have my work to go back to,” he says.

Varun Thakur loves telling people that he holds the record for “most number of rejections from women and rickshawallas” and loves making fun of Andheri East in his sets. But unlike Talwar,the 24-year-old — also a struggling actor — uses stand-up comedy and television writing for the regular income they bring. “Comedy is good money but like any area of showbiz,the work keeps fluctuating. I like having something on the side to keep my mind occupied even as I chase my dream of becoming an actor.”

Curated For You

Dhurandhar Box Office Collection Day 23 Update: Ranveer Singh’s film crosses Rs 19 cr on 4th Sunday; earns Rs 1,051.6 cr worldwide

India Women vs Sri Lanka Women 4th T20I Updates: IND win 4th T20I by 30 runs

‘I’m your daughter’s age’: Haryanavi artist stops performance to address fans’ behaviour, video sparks debate