A look at the moolah being raked in by Indian stand-up comedians

Jibes at politicians mimicry of film stars and a sprinkling of cuss words here and there Standup comedy shows are dominating prime time television and going by their soaring TRPs they seem to be a welcome respite from the tearjerking saasbahu sagas After all everyone needs a good laugh at the end of the daySources say that Kapil Sharma who shot to fame with his TV show now charges to the tune of Rs 1 crore for a live gigThe best example at the moment is Kapil Sharma whose show Comedy Nights with Kapil has achieved a cult status of sorts making the funnyman a star in his own right Kapil has won millions of hearts with his remarkable comic timing Almost all Bollywood celebs make sure that they appear on Kapilrsquos show to promote their filmsThis star born out of the idiot box has made it so big that he reportedly charges Rs 1 crore for a live gig A source says ldquoAfter Comedy Nightshellip Kapil has become a name to reckon with in ndash a superstar if you like People love watching him on screen and they appreciate his humour thatrsquos what he is getting paid for He charges around Rs 1 crore for stage showsrdquohitlist turns the spotlight on comic artistes who are raking in the moolah by making people laughSunil GroverRs 810 lakhFee per showLowdown Sunil Grover has acted in many movies and has been an active part of the world of comedy for almost a decade His character of Gutthi in Comedy Nights with Kapil where he dresses up as a typical village girl and talks in a raspy tone made him an overnight star He quit the show to start his own standup comedy programme Mad in India which ended prematurely due to low TRPs Now hersquos back with Kapilrsquos team and making his audience laugh harder than ever as the protagonistrsquos fatherinlawKiku ShardaRs 57 lakhFee per showLowdown He has acted in many movies and been part of several comedy shows but his claim to fame has been his character as Palak on Comedy Nights with Kapil He is known for entertaining viewers with his amusing dance style and humourAli AsgarRs 57 lakhFee per showLowdown Ali stepped into the field of acting from an early age He has done supporting roles in many Hindi films and his role as Kamal in the TV soap Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki made him a popular personality But then he decided to move to comedy fulltime and is now best known as Dadi in Kapilrsquos Comedy Nights One of his signature antics as Dadi is to plant a kiss on the cheeks of the hot desirable celebs who come on the showBharti SinghRs 67 lakhFee per showLowdown Showing the world that standup comedy is not a male bastion Bharti a national level gold medalist in pistol shooting and archery has over 400 stage shows to her credit Her ability to laugh at herself mostly about her weight is endearing Her performances as Lalli and Golu were a hit with the audiences She also participated in a celebrity dance show and made the viewers laugh out loud with her funny anticsManish PaulRs 812 lakhFee per showLowdown A prominent TV anchor today Manish is known to tickle the funny bones of the audience with his impromptu wacky sense of humour He started his career in 2002 as a radio jockey and moved on to hosting TV showsSudesh LehriRs 67 lakhFee per showLowdown He has made his place among the top ten comedians on national television after struggling for a few years Though already a popular face in Punjabi films and television he achieved acclaim when he became one of the three finalists on a TV laughter challenge Sudesh has done many stage shows and his pairing with Krushna Abhishek is something that the audience lovesRajiv ThakurRs 35 lakhFee per showLowdown He is part of the young brigade of Punjabi comedians whose spoofs on celebrities have won him a fan following Rajiv who hails from Amritsar has directed and participated in many plays during his struggle period He has also featured in many Bollywood movies He was supposed to be part of Sunil Groverrsquos Mad in India but opted out even before the show began