Mumbai's funnymen on how stand-up comedy is becoming a feasible profession

Not too long ago not even a decade the Mumbaikar was still getting introduced to the concept of live comedy In 2010 Vir Das was pioneering the art of cracking jokes in English in India and there were about 15 standup comedians in Mumbai who were yet to get paid for what they did Now in the words of Anuvab Pal a veteran whos done over 100 shows of his hugely popular show History of India the popularity of standup comedy has increased explosively There are over 10 venues in the city from one in 2010 that host standup every week Spaces like Canvas Laugh Club and The Hive host new comedians for open mic performances every Monday and there are over 30 comedians in the city who get paid handsomely for each showVir DasBut borrowing concerned elder speak Will cracking jokes pay the bills Punit Pania of Chalta Hai Comedy reveals it can Pania quit a corporate job in sales last year to pursue comedy full time We do regular shows at venues like Barking Deer in Lower Parel Brewbot in Andheri or Three Wise Monkeys in Khar he says Money of the joke Fulltime standup comic Kautuk Srivastava puts the number of professional comedians performing in the city at 50 to 60 Pania feels that roughly 30 of them are fulltime comics Now if a comedian is writing a script for a web series or writing a column he is still primarily a standup as he does not have a 95 job Pania explains The hardest part of not having a fulltime job according to Srivastava is that there are seasons of plenty and then there are periods when they get no calls at allAnuvab PalPania says that remuneration for a standup show is not too bad either Someone who has just arrived in the scene and not broken the Internet or suddenly become immensely popular can get Rs 30 000 for a single show This can go up to Rs 15 lakh for more established ones The main moolah is from corporate gigs informs fellow standup comic Kautuk Srivastava It can be for their sales pitch or to entertain valued customersHijaas MoosaInitially the standup event was clubbed with events like dance fire breathing and what not but now things have improved and people are more keen on standup shows he saysHijaas Moosa who performs regularly across the city sheds more light on surviving on comedy alone I barely survive after paying rent in Andheri E but that much I am able to afford he revealsFunny moneyAt pub venues tickets are usually priced at around Rs 250 to Rs 350 and includes a choice of beer At more popular and established venues like the Canvas Laugh Club tickets are priced higher at R600 on weekdays and Rs 750 on weekends The pricing of tickets can vary widely depending on the popularity of the comedians performing and tickets for top comedians or groups can often be Rs 1000 to Rs 1500Sharin Bhatti who runs the popular city venues of unconventional shows The Hive and The Cuckoo Club says that the number of new comedy shows have increased so much that it is really difficult to keep countKautuk SrivastavaWe have standup performances 20 days a month and this is a phenomenal increase considering that even two years ago standup was restricted to two or three days a week It would not be stretching it too far to say that in the last three years the number of comedians in the city has doubled she says Moosa points out that the audience for comedy too has matured Earlier the audience was mostly firsttimers Now we have people who go to sandup shows and know what to expect We can try out a lot more We can try out dirty jokes dark jokes and satire now he saysPunit Pania Comedy has also evolved in other Indian cilities like Delhi Bengaluru Kolkata and Pune and many more comedians are entering the scene Anuvab Pal however points out that money will always be a tricky question for a comedian One cannot start doing standup thinking about money The moot question will always remain whether you have something to say and whether you have the urge to say it out notwithstanding the money he asserts The good news is that if what you have to say can make people laugh money seems to be coming in