Comedy CENTRAL

In the West, stand-up comedians are huge stars and newcomers can hone their skills in comedy clubs and open mike competitions. In India, however, loud buffoonery and slapstick comedy have been the norm on television and in movies. But things are beginning to change, and audiences are waking up to the art of the comedian. Spurred on by the success of GILC, other channels are using comedy shows like Hansod Dangal on Aaj Tak and Comedy Circus on Sony to wean viewers. There are plenty of young hopefuls ready with a funny act, looking for a break.

Neeraj Mehraa, 36, a Gurgaon-based stand-up comic and mimicry artist has been in the industry for 12 years now. Mehra gets calls from companies like Indian Oil, Airtel and DAVP to entertain employees at their annual parties. Sometimes he performs for private audiences. Mehraa didn8217;t make it past the preliminary round of the GILC contest this year, but he8217;s determined to try again. He rues the fact that there are just a handful of such contests on TV: 8220;Unfortunately, there simply aren8217;t too many options available to a comedian looking for exposure.8221;

But the stocks of the stand-up comic are on the rise. According to sources, Raju Shrivastav, a winner at GILC, now charges Rs 3 lakh for private shows. Before his TV stint, he made a paltry Rs 20,000 per performance. But, then, one has to be the best in the business to be able to demand that kind of money.

8220;It8217;s very simple. We8217;re looking for people who can make us laugh,8221; says Pankaj Saraswat of Violet Picture Company, which handles the creative content for GILC. 8220;Stand-up comedy is primarily about stage performance, comic timing and the ability to hold an audience,8221; explains Saraswat. In the future, he says, there will be tremendous scope for budding humourists.

Mehraa agrees but adds, 8220;Abroad, you have comics who perform as duos or larger groups. That concept will find acceptance in India as well,8221; he says. Mehraa has also launched voiceartistes.com, a website catering to aspiring comedians and mimicry artists. He8217;s also putting together a group of comedians and plans to market them as a group.

Mujahid Engineer, 36, is a technology professional in Noida. He started mimicking Shahrukh Khan8217;s famed act in Darr, which released while he was studying at Delhi8217;s Jamia Millia University. Egged on by friends and family, he decided to explore the possibility of a making a living by making people laugh. Engineer is hoping his big break will come after people see him in Gudgudi Express, a 26-episode show soon to be aired on DD1. His heroes are Woody Allen and Laloo Prasad Yadav, who according to him, is a natural born comedian. 8220;Comedy is observation,8221; he says. 8220;In India people lead tough lives, so it8217;s harder to get them to laugh.8221;

At this point, none of these aspiring humourists is confident enough to chuck their jobs, and pursue comedy as a profession yet. Rahul Sharma, 24, based in Amritsar, is however thinking of taking the plunge. He teaches mimicry to school and college students in Punjab and he8217;s convinced he can land some bit roles in Bollywood and get noticed. 8220;If I don8217;t make the move now, I8217;ll never know,8221; smiles Sharma. 8220;And, who knows, I might soon be laughing my way to the bank.8221;