Making one laugh for a living is pretty serious business. The past few years has seen rising stand-up comedians make a name for themselves all around the country. When it comes to comics from South India, they often are given a miss by the audience. There are certain notions in the minds of people that comedy in south India is often limited to vulgar content or the lungi dance moves.
Changing this perception in some style, here’s a list of 5 stand–up comedians from South India who are proving time and again that the region is not just the land of Idli-sambhar and Thalaiva, it is also the land of splendid comedy with, of course, a touch of South Indian-ness to it!
Baggy Kung Fu Bonda
He may be 30, but the upcoming comic Bhargav Ramakrishnan a.k.a. Baggy is very much the new kid on the block. Having entered his 30s, one might feel sad about being old, but Baggy, being different from the others, has created a whole series of jokes about it. Today, Amazon Prime Videos launched a new episode of Amazon Funnies with him showcasing some really hilarious observational jokes about adulting, parents, marriage, sex and grill gates. With his unique style statement, exceptional energy and a thick Tamilian accent, this guy is definitely going to make you laugh out loud.
Aravind SA
From starting his career as an assistant director in Chennai to becoming one of the well-known faces of stand-up comedy down south, Aravind has indeed come a long way. Trust him to always give a splendid performance that creates a non-stop laughter marathon for his audience. Some of his popular skits include ranting about being single or the truth about long distance relationships and his iconic parody performance of the song Lungi Dance from Chennai Express. There is no doubt about the fact that Aravind, with his impeccable comic timing, will see your tummy ache with all that laughter. You can enjoy his shows on YouTube or Amazon Prime Video.
Karthik Kumar
Apart from being a fantastic comedian, Karthik is also one of the people who laid the foundation of stand-up comedy in South India. He along with his friend started an event management company named Evam way back in 2003. Though earlier the group was mainly into theatre, they later ventured into stand-up in 2010 and called it Evam Standup Tamasha, which was a pretty alien concept back then. Making waves ever since, there has been no looking back for Karthik as people down south now having absolutely no qualms of laughing at themselves all thanks to him.
Naveen Richard
This actor and comedian along with bringing wit in abundance, always manages to steal hearts with his dusky looks. In the past, Naveen has given some exceptional and unforgettable performance in shows like Pushpavlli, Star Boyz, Don’t make that face, etc., Recently seen in Amazon Prime Video’s new stand-up special under Amazon Funnies, Naveen performs an incredible set on observational comedy called ‘Relatively Relatable’ with a lot of been there, felt that moments that will make you roll on the floor laughing.
Praveen Kumar
Don’t go by how intense and pensive this comedian always seems to be. Otherwise a very serious-looking lad, Praveen Kumar is one of the most-celebrated comedians of our time. He has performed around 1400 shows in India as well as abroad. Known for cracking jokes that are very family friendly with utmost simplicity, it doesn’t take long for anyone to become his ultimate fan. With his YouTube videos raking in over a million views, it’s absolutely no surprise to see him rated as one of the Top 10 stand-up comedians in India.
With laughter being the best medicine, make the most of this lockdown by getting the perfect dose of humour and staying healthy after watching these comedians from the South.
