They are charming, relevant, and extremely funny. These Indian female comedians are breaking the mold of society with a soft on their faces and words of conviction.
Indian women in comedy are not a new thing for this country; it has a strong past starting with charming leading ladies of television in the late 70s and 80s. And this has led to years of, “how a woman can behave in such a way?” But, whereas some were not at all bothered by the society that wanted them to behave, some chose to put their heads down to follow the stream of unjust practices and rituals of Indian society. Until the late 2000s, when some female stand-up comedians started to talk about, the unjust yet extremely real practices of the society and uninformed notions of womanhood.
But, after 2020 there has been a gradual and strong rise of women stand-up comedians who were very much changing the dogmatism of this society in absolutely funny and hearty ways. From “Nosy Neighborhood Aunty Jokes” to “Cute Desi Parents Upbringing Jokes”, these hilarious ladies have been smart with their words and funny to the bones.
- Sumukhi Suresh
She is an actor, comedian, writer, and director, excelling in her field with great works. She is known for her stand-ups, her “Don’t Tell Amma” is a perfect example of how Indian women have been changing silently yet keeping pace with the world. Her words have conviction and, an unapologetic sense of humor, and these are extremely relatable. Every Indian girl has faced these scenarios in one way or another which makes them more loveable, or to be precise gut-held laughable.
- Urooj Ashfaq
If your Instagram and YouTube algorithm doesn’t support her reels, then you should know her face from one of the leading shows of Indian KBC, there was a question about her as she was the first Indian comic to win an Edinburgh Fringe’s Perrier Award. She has made history by her achievement in this field, at such a young age. Her stand-ups are also extremely hilarious and if there is a relatability score then she must have scored the highest.
- Shreeja Chaturvedi
She has a style, that no one can match, the laid straight-face jokes will kill you completely. She has been one of the prominent participants of Comicstaan. It has been over two years and she seems to get funnier every day. From her clever delivery to her writing motif, everything has hidden puns, and ‘alas’ if you missed one she probably is plotting for the next. Just like every female comedian she also vouches for the place in society women have and the rest is called social comedy of errors.
- Sumaira Shaikh
She is incomplete without her satirical sets packed with honesty and humor. Once a prominent TV character said, “Humor based on my Pain, ha ha ha ha”. Her satirical jokes will make you feel this line, as this scene she describes is extremely funny and unbelievably relatable. Apart from her comedy career, she is also one of the writers of ‘Son of Abish’. Along with her comedy career, she continues to work with several projects and her smartness in coining words will always be appreciated by every Indian Woman.
- Swati Sachdeva
It has been almost a year since; Swati Sachdeva broke the internet with her ‘Love is Love’ stand-up show. Being a representative of the queer community her coming out of the closet jokes still crakes everyone. She is honest, she is smart and unconventionally funny. Describing a scene with such elaborative speculation, even ‘So-called’ straight people can also relate to her situation. With this unique blend of comedy with a special Hindi dialect, her works are also extremely fresh.
- Kaneez Surka
Whatever she says, from freezing her eggs to bashing society is funny. The raging gravity of her conviction along with her highly intellect puns, makes her one of a kind. Whether is saree or in jeans, she will always crack you up with her sensible words. Whether it is, her representation in Comicstaan or Ladies Up for Netflix, she is an Indian Woman talking about Indian men and women and how funny this society is in her brilliant performances.
- Aishwarya Mohanraj
Another Comicstaan participant, with round big eyes and an awestruck face, has managed to jolt down several ‘I am not interested’ jokes. Whether the topic she chooses is her vlogs or her talk shows, she upholds her straight face to say or do something completely hilarious. Her comedic delivery is relevant and extremely churning in a funny way. Her videos like ‘My Pregnancy Test’ and Netflix’s ‘Awkward Interview Series’ have been the initiation of her many ‘uninterested’ interactions. She also represents women in this society in a very superficial way which makes her adorably witty and promising.
These are some of the young and vibrant Indian female stand-up comedians who have been acing this industry with their confidence and extremely precise comic timings. With their brilliant angle of Indian society, and their refreshing ways to bring more people to their hilarious acts, they are some of the few most charmingly engaging Indian comedians. Representing this society as it is can be hard, and they have done this job brilliantly with their profound styles and generosity.
Whether it was Urooj saying “It’s fine guys” to all the ladies of the room or Aishwarya stating her fun time with her husband on her honeymoon, and how it should be okay for a couple to choose not to do something when society intrigued to know the “Real” truth. Their ways are unconventionally revolutionary and how they state is more refreshing to witness. With this, hopefully, more Indian Women continue to follow in their footsteps and choose to state their say with wit and generic comedy.
