Stand up comedy

A REPORT ON: STAND-UP
COMEDY MARKET IN
KOLKATA
JULY 10, 2020
Submitted by
SUSHANKA MALAKAR

DECLARATION
I Sushanka Malakar, hereby declare that the project work entitled ―A report on: stand-up
comedy market in Kolkata‖ created and submitted by me
Date: 10/07/2020
Place: Kolkata

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
A successful project can never be the single effort or the person to whom the project is assigned,
but it also demands the help and guardianship of some conversant person who helps in the
undersigned actively or passively in the completion of successful project.
I wish to express my deep gratitude to Mrs. SAYANI SAHU for helping me by providing
continuous support and guidance. This report could not have been completed without the inputs
and the words of advice from her far which I shall always remain grateful to her.

ABSTRACT
The position humour occupies as a form of expression is unique in the kind of open
contradictions it seems to create. This is best expressed in the political contestation of humour.
These political positions seem to oscillate between outrage and unconditional acceptance.
Members on the left object to humour that in their eyes helps further marginalize the
marginalized. On the right, humour that is seen as blasphemous in its open mocking of existing
authority is treated similarly. Yet, both these voices (or more specifically, several voices) at
different points defend humour by depriving it of all political value: It‘s just a joke, don‘t take
it too seriously. These contradictions demand investigation. Why does humour occupy the
privileged place that it does? The rapid rise of Stand-Up comedy in metropolitan centres in
India offers us the ability to look at the dynamics of humour anew. The fact that the rules and
norms for what works and what doesn‘t have not yet been set up allows us to see humour
negotiate a new terrain. We see humour go wrong and therefore better understand why it works
when it does. This new form of ‗elite‘ entertainment allows us to investigate the micropolitics
of offence and the strategies used by comedians in working around the apparent sensitivity of
their audiences.
We argue that what constitutes an offensive joke requires a deeply contextual analysis of the
kinds of social world humour creates. Furthermore, we wish to investigate the relationship
between Stand-Up comedy as a specific form of humour and elite culture within metropolitan
spaces in the country. We argue that humour, as a new form of entertainment, acts to mediate
cultural differences between various identities by bringing to the surface the overarching
commonality of class. In the context of the intense cosmopolitanism of Urban spaces in the
country, we argue that humour, in attempting to navigate the treacherous terrain of comedy,
acts to bring together some at the expense of pushing apart others. This paper therefore,
attempts to offer framework within which to understand the meanings associated with a specific
form of humour in Stand-Up comedy.

INDEX
CAPTER NO. TITLE PAGE NO.
1. Introduction 1 - 8
2. Literature review 9
3. Objectives 10
4. Research methodology 11 - 12
5. Limitations of the study 13
6. Data analysis 14 – 30
7. Findings 31
8. Scope of future study 32
9. Conclusion 33
10. Bibliography 34
11. Annexure 35 – 37

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INTRODUCTION
Western history of comedy
Starting from 425 BCE, Aristophanes, a comic playwright and satirical author of the Ancient
Greek Theatre, wrote 40 comedies, 11 of which survive. Aristophanes developed his type of
comedy from the earlier satyr plays, which were often highly obscene. The only surviving
examples of the satyr plays are by Euripides, which are much later examples and not
representative of the genre. In ancient Greece, comedy originated in bawdy and ribald songs or
recitations apropos of phallic processions and fertility festivals or gatherings.
Around 335 BCE, Aristotle, in his work Poetics, stated that comedy originated in phallic
processions and the light treatment of the otherwise base and ugly. He also adds that the origins
of comedy are obscure because it was not treated seriously from its inception. However,
comedy had its own Muse: Thalia.
Aristotle taught that comedy was generally positive for society, since it brings forth happiness,
which for Aristotle was the ideal state, the final goal in any activity. For Aristotle, a comedy
did not need to involve sexual humour. A comedy is about the fortunate rise of a sympathetic
character. Aristotle divides comedy into three categories or subgenres: farce, romantic comedy,
and satire. On the contrary, Plato taught that comedy is a destruction to the self. He believed
that it produces an emotion that overrides rational self-control and learning. In The Republic,
he says that the guardians of the state should avoid laughter, "for ordinarily when one abandons
himself to violent laughter, his condition provokes a violent reaction." Plato says comedy
should be tightly controlled if one wants to achieve the ideal state.
Also in Poetics, Aristotle defined comedy as one of the original four genres of literature. The
other three genres are tragedy, epic poetry, and lyric poetry. Literature, in general, is defined
by Aristotle as a mimesis, or imitation of life. Comedy is the third form of literature, being the
most divorced from a true mimesis. Tragedy is the truest mimesis, followed by epic poetry,
comedy, and lyric poetry. The genre of comedy is defined by a certain pattern according to
Aristotle's definition. Comedies begin with low or base characters seeking insignificant aims
and end with some accomplishment of the aims which either lightens the initial baseness or
reveals the insignificance of the aims.
Early Renaissance forms of comedy
The Divine Comedy is a long narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun c. 1308 and completed
in 1320, a year before his death in 1321. It is widely considered to be the preeminent work
in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature. The poem's imaginative
vision of the afterlife is representative of the medieval world-view as it had developed in
the Western Church by the 14th century. It helped establish the Tuscan language, in which it
is written, as the standardized Italian language. It is divided into three
parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.
The narrative describes Dante's travels through Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise
or Heaven, while allegorically the poem represents the soul's journey towards God. Dante

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draws on medieval Christian theology and philosophy, especially Thomistic philosophy and
the Summa Theologica of Thomas Aquinas. Consequently, the Divine Comedy has been
called "the Summa inverse". In Dante's work, Virgil is presented as human reason and Beatrice
is presented as divine knowledge.
The work was originally simply titled Comedia (so also in the first printed edition, published
in 1472). The adjective Divina was added by Giovanni Boccaccio, and the first edition to name
the poem Divina Comedia in the title was that of the Venetian humanist Lodovico
Dolce, published in 1555 by Gabriele Giolito de' Ferrari.
The Divine Comedy is composed of 14,233 lines that are divided into
three cantiche (singular cantica) – Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory),
and Paradiso (Paradise) – each consisting of 33 cantos (Italian plural canti). An initial canto,
serving as an introduction to the poem and generally considered to be part of the first cantica,
brings the total number of cantos to 100. It is generally accepted, however, that the first two
cantos serve as a unitary prologue to the entire epic, and that the opening two cantos of
each cantica serve as prologues to each of the three cantiche.
Commedia dell'arte and Shakespearean, Elizabethan comedy
"Comedy", in its Elizabethan usage, had a very different meaning from modern comedy. A
Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between
the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's
other plays.
The Punch and Judy show has roots in the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte. The figure
of Punch derives from the Neapolitan stock character of Pulcinella. The figure who later
became Mr. Punch made his first recorded appearance in England in 1662. Punch and Judy are
performed in the spirit of outrageous comedy — often provoking shocked laughter — and are
dominated by the anarchic clowning of Mr. Punch. Appearing at a significant period in British
history, professor Glyn Edwards states: "[Pulcinella] went down particularly well with
Restoration British audiences, fun-starved after years of Puritanism. We soon changed Punch's
name, transformed him from a marionette to a hand puppet, and he became, really, a spirit of
Britain — a subversive maverick who defies authority, a kind of puppet equivalent to
our political cartoons.
19th to early 20th century
In early 19th century England, pantomime acquired its present form which includes slapstick
comedy and featured the first mainstream clown Joseph Grimaldi, while comedy routines also
featured heavily in British music hall theatre which became popular in the
1850s. British comedians who honed their skills in music hall sketches include Charlie
Chaplin, Stan Laurel and Dan Leno. English music hall comedian and theatre impresario Fred
Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue in the 1890s, and Chaplin and
Laurel were among the comedians who worked for his company. Karno was a pioneer
of slapstick, and in his biography, Laurel stated, "Fred Karno didn't teach Charlie [Chaplin]
and me all we know about comedy. He just taught us most of it". Film producer Hal
Roach stated: "Fred Karno is not only a genius, he is the man who originated slapstick comedy.
We in Hollywood owe much to him." American vaudeville emerged in the 1880s and remained

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popular until the 1930s, and featured comedians such as W. C. Fields, Buster Keaton and
the Marx Brothers.
20th century theatre and art
Surreal humour (also known as 'absurdist humour'), or 'surreal comedy', is a form
of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causal reasoning, producing events and
behaviours that are obviously illogical. Constructions of surreal humour tend to involve bizarre
juxtapositions, incongruity, non-sequiturs, irrational or absurd situations and expressions
of nonsense.[35] The humour arises from a subversion of audience's expectations, so that
amusement is founded on unpredictability, separate from a logical analysis of the situation. The
humour derived gets its appeal from the ridiculousness and unlikeliness of the situation. The
genre has roots in Surrealism in the arts.
Surreal humour is the effect of illogic and absurdity being used for Humourous effect. Under
such premises, people can identify precursors and early examples of surreal humour at least
since the 19th century, such as Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through
the Looking-Glass, which both use illogic and absurdity (hookah-
smoking caterpillars, croquet matches using live flamingos as mallets, etc.) for Humourous
effect. Many of Edward Lear's children stories and poems contain nonsense and are basically
surreal in approach. For example, The Story of the Four Little Children Who Went Round the
World (1871) is filled with contradictory statements and odd images intended to provoke
amusement, such as the following:
After a time, they saw some land at a distance; and when they came to it, they found it was an
island made of water quite surrounded by earth. Besides that, it was bordered by evanescent
isthmuses with a great Gulf-stream running about all over it, so that it was perfectly beautiful,
and contained only a single tree, 503 feet high.
In the early 20th century, several avant-garde movements, including the dadaists, surrealists,
and futurists, began to argue for an art that was random, jarring and illogical. The goals of these
movements were in some sense serious, and they were committed to undermining the solemnity
and self-satisfaction of the contemporary artistic establishment. As a result, much of their art
was intentionally amusing.
A famous example is Marcel Duchamp's Fountain (1917), an inverted urinal signed "R. Mutt".
This became one of the most famous and influential pieces of art in history, and one of the
earliest examples of the found object movement. It is also a joke, relying on the inversion of
the item's function as expressed by its title as well as its incongruous presence in an art
exhibition.
20th century film, records, radio, and television
The advent of cinema in the late 19th century, and later radio and television in the 20th century
broadened the access of comedians to the general public. Charlie Chaplin, through silent film,
became one of the best-known faces on Earth. The silent tradition lived on well into the 20th
century through mime artists like Marcel Marceau, and the physical comedy of artists
like Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean. The tradition of the circus clown also continued, with such
as Bozo the Clown in the United States and Oleg Popov in Russia. Radio provided new
possibilities — with Britain producing the influential surreal humour of the Goon Show after

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the Second World War. The Goons' influence spread to the American radio
and recording troupe the Firesign Theatre. American cinema has produced a great number of
globally renowned comedy artists, from Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, Abbott and
Costello, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, as well as Bob Hope during the mid-20th century, to
performers like George Carlin, Robin Williams, and Eddie Murphy at the end of the
century. Hollywood attracted many international talents like the British comics Peter
Sellers, Dudley Moore and Sacha Baron Cohen, Canadian comics Dan Aykroyd, Jim Carrey,
and Mike Myers, and the Australian comedian Paul Hogan, famous for Crocodile Dundee.
Other centres of creative comic activity have been the cinema of Hong Kong, Bollywood, and
French farce.
American television has also been an influential force in world comedy: with American series
like M*A*S*H, Seinfeld and The Simpsons achieving large followings around the world.
British television comedy also remains influential, with quintessential works including Fawlty
Towers, Monty Python, Dad's Army, Blackadder, and The Office. Australian satirist Barry
Humphries, whose comic creations include the housewife and "gigastar" Dame Edna Everage,
for his delivery of Dadaist and absurdist humour to millions, was described by biographer Anne
Pender in 2010 as not only "the most significant theatrical figure of our time ... [but] the most
significant comedian to emerge since Charlie Chaplin".
Non-Western history of comedy
Classical Sanskrit Dramas, Plays, and Epics of Ancient India
By 200 BC, in ancient Sanskrit drama, Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra defined humour as one
of the nine nava rasas, or principle rasas (emotional responses), which can be inspired in the
audience by bhavas, the imitations of emotions that the actors perform. Each rasa was
associated with a specific bhava portrayed on stage. In the case of humour, it was associated
with mirth (hasya).
Genres of Comedy
Alternative comedy
Differs from traditional punchline jokes which features many other forms of comedy such as
observation, satire, surrealism, slapstick and improvisation. In its content, Alternative Comedy
emerged as a counter to the establishment entertainment figures from the previous generation:
It was often cited for its disregard to established comedic movements and ranged from the
surreal to slapstick, usually with a combination of both.
Anecdotal comedy
Named after the word anecdote (which stems from the Greek term meaning ―unpublished‖);
refers to comic personal stories that may be true or partly true but embellished
Anti-Humour
A type of indirect Humour that involves the joke-teller delivering something which is
intentionally not funny, or lacking in intrinsic meaning
Black comedy or dark comedy

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Deals with disturbing subjects such as death, drugs, terrorism, rape, and war; can sometimes
be related to the horror movie genre
Blue comedy
Typically, sexual in nature (risqué) and/or using profane language; sometimes using gender or
race based Humour.
Character comedy
Derives Humour from a persona invented by a performer; often from stereotypes
Cringe comedy
A comedy of embarrassment, in which the Humour comes from inappropriate actions or words;
usually popular in television shows and film, but occasionally in stand-up as well
Deadpan comedy
Not strictly a style of comedy, it is telling jokes without a change in facial expression or change
of emotion
Heritage comedy
A method or genre in which a comedian discusses Humourous traits or stereotypes about their
own culture or heritage
Improvisational comedy
Improvisational (sometimes shortened to improv) comics rarely plan out their routines;
television show examples: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Thank God
You're Here
Inside Humour
Humour which requires special knowledge in order to be appreciated by the audience
Insult comedy
A form which consists mainly of offensive insults directed at the performer's audience and/or
other performers
Mockumentary
A parody using the conventions of documentary style
Comedy music
A form of alternative comedy where Humour is mostly derived from music with (or sometimes
without) lyrics
Observational comedy
Pokes fun at everyday life, often by inflating the importance of trivial things or by observing
the silliness of something that society accepts as normal
One-line joke
A joke that is delivered in a single line. A good one-liner is said to be pithy - concise and
meaningful

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Physical comedy
Somewhat similar to slapstick, this form uses physical movement and gestures; often
influenced by clowning
Prop comedy
Relies on ridiculous props, casual jackets or everyday objects used in Humourous ways
Shock Humour
A style of comedy that uses shock value to invoke a strong negative emotion as well as a
comedic
Sitcom
Scripted dialogue creating a thematic situation; commonly found on television series
Sketch
A shorter version of a sitcom, practised and typically performed live
Spoof/Parody
The recreating of a book, film or play for Humour; it can be used to make fun of, or ridicule, a
certain production
Surreal comedy
A form of Humour based on bizarre juxtapositions, absurd situations, and nonsense logic
Topical comedy/Satire
Relies on headlining/important news and current affairs; it dates quickly, but is a popular form
for late night talk-variety shows
Ventriloquism
Involves character comedy; the comedian uses the skill of ventriloquy to "throw his or her
voice" into a dummy or puppet character. The ventriloquist generally speaks as the "straight
man" and gives the comic lines to the dummy. Exceptionally skilled ventriloquists can make
the dummy sing.
Wit/Word play
More intellectual forms based on clever, often subtle manipulation of language
(though puns can be crude and farcical)
Stand-up Comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comic style in which a comedian performs in front of a live audience,
usually speaking directly to them. The performer is commonly known as a comic, stand-up
comic, comedian, comedienne, stand-up comedian, or simply a stand-up. Comedians give the
illusion that they are dialoguing, but in actuality, they are monologuing a grouping of
Humorous stories, jokes and one-liners, typically called a shtick, routine, act, or set. Some
stand-up comedians use props, music or magic tricks to enhance their acts. Stand-up comedy

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is stated to be the "freest form of comedy writing" that is regarded as a fictionalized "extension
of" the person performing.
There is a small difference between normal comedian and stand-up comedian.
Comedian is a more general term that can include comic actors, sketch comedy performers,
improv, etc. Stand-up comedian specifically refers to someone who performs comedy live
onstage, almost always as a solo act.
For example, Rajpal Yadav is a comedian but Zakir khan is a stand-up comedian
Every stand-up comic is a comedian but not every comedian is a stand-up comedian.
Open Mic
An open mic or open mike (derived from the expression "open microphone") is a live show at
a coffeehouse, nightclub, comedy club, institution or pub at which audience members who are
amateur or professional may perform, often for the first time, or promote an upcoming
performance, are given the opportunity to perform onstage. Typically, as the name suggests,
the performer is provided with a microphone which is plugged into a PA system, to make the
individual's performance loud enough for the audience to hear. Often the performers sign up in
advance for a time slot with the host or master of ceremonies, typically an experienced
performer or the venue manager or owner. The master of ceremonies may screen potential
candidates for suitability for the venue and give individuals a time to perform in the show.
These events are focused on performance arts like poetry and spoken word, music
(often singer-songwriters who accompany themselves on guitar), and comedy.
Stand-up comedy open mic nights can be held at established comedy clubs, but they are more
commonly held at other venues with or without a stage, often the upstairs or back room of a
pub or bar, bookstores, colleges, rock clubs, and coffeehouses. They are also held in
uncommon areas such as strip clubs and comic book shops.
Such nights give newer or emerging comedians an opportunity to practice and improve, with a
view to getting paid work in the future. The audience for a typical, comedy open mic comprises
mostly of comedians. Those under ages must have their parents attend clubs with them. More
experienced comedians may use open mics as an opportunity to work out newer material or a
new character, as the audience is not paying in anticipation of seeing their normal act.
Stand-up comedy in India
Modern stand-up comedy in India is a young art form, however Chakyar koothu was prominent
in Trivandrum and southern Kerala during the 16th and 17th centuries. It had all the attributes
of modern stand-up comedy and is widely considered to be the oldest known staged comedy
act anywhere in the world.
Even though the history of live comedy performances in India traces its early roots back to
1980s, for a long-time stand-up comedian were only given supporting/filler acts in various
performances (dance or music).

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In 1986, India's Johnny Lever performed in a charity show called "Hope 86", in front of the
whole Hindi film industry as a filler and was loved by audience. His talent was recognized, and
he would later be described as "the iconic comedian of his generation".
It was not until 2005, when the TV show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge garnered huge
popularity and stand-up comedy in itself started getting recognised. Thus, a lot more comedians
became popular and started performing various live and TV shows. The demand for comedy
content continues to increase. Some popular comedians around 2005-2008 include Raju
Srivastav, Kapil Sharma, Sunil Pal etc. Most of them performed their acts in Hindi.
Raju Srivastav first appeared on the comedy talent show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge.
He finished as second runner-up and then took part in the spin-off, The Great Indian Laughter
Challenge — Champions, in which he won the title of "The King of Comedy". Srivastava was
a participant on season 3 of Bigg Boss. He has participated in the comedy show Comedy Ka
Maha Muqabla.
Kapil Sharma is ranked no. 3 at the most admired Indian personality list by The Economic
Times in 2015. Currently he is hosting the most popular Indian comedy show "The Kapil
Sharma Show" after "Comedy Nights with Kapil". Sharma had been working in the comedy
show Hasde Hasande Raho on MH One, until he got his first break in The Great Indian
Laughter Challenge, one of the nine reality television shows he has won. He became the winner
of the show in 2007 for which he won 10 lakhs as prize money.
Sharma participated in Sony Entertainment Television‘s Comedy Circus. He became the
winner of all six seasons of "Comedy Circus" he participated in. He has hosted dance reality
show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Season 6 and also hosted comedy show Chhote Miyan. Sharma also
participated in the show Ustaadon Ka Ustaad.
Around 2008-2009, two other popular comedians Papa CJ and Vir Das returned to India and
started making their marks on Indian comedy scene. Both of them were exposed to UK and US
comedy routines and they performed mostly in English. At the same time, a few more
youngsters got inspired and started taking plunge into stand-up comedy.
Since 2011, the stand-up comedy has been getting substantial appreciation. The Comedy Store
from London opened an outlet in Mumbai's Palladium Mall where people would regularly
enjoy comedians from UK. The Comedy Story also supported local comedians and helped them
grow. This outlet eventually become Canvas Laugh Club in Mumbai.
Around 2011, people started organizing different comedy open mic events in Mumbai, Delhi
(and Gurgaon), Bangalore. All of this happened in association with growth of a counterculture
in Indian cities which catered to the appetite of younger generations for live events for comedy,
poetry, storytelling, and music. Various stand up events were covered by popular news
channels such NDTV / Aajtak etc. and were appreciated by millions of viewers.
As a result of these developments, plus the increasing penetration of YouTube (along
with Internet/World Wide Web), Indian stand-up comedy started reaching further masses.
While the established comedians such as Vir Das, Papa CJ were independently growing
through various corporate / international performances, other comedians such as Vipul
Goyal, Biswa Kalyan Rath, Kenny Sebastian, Kanan Gill grew popular through YouTube
videos.
The industry, still in its early stages, now sees a lot more influx of aspiring comedians as it
transforms the ecosystem around it.

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LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature on humour has traditionally looked at humour from the perspective of the structure
of the joke. The aim in this case has been to understand why certain forms of expression
induce laughter. In the realm of Philosophy and Linguistics, this emphasis is particularly
clear. The joke, as spoken or performed, and the joke as written are, in large part, seen as
equivalent (Critchley, 2002; Koestler, 1964). In slight contrast to this, sociological
approaches to the study of humour, while not many in number, have looked at humour as
either a means of oppression (Powell & Paton, 1988; Finney, 1994) or as resistance
(Hillenbrand, 2002; Rodrigues & Collinson, 1995). Here, humour is understood to be a
powerful tool that either dominates or subverts depending on its strategic and contextual
usage. However, what constitutes humour or what makes a joke funny is seen as irrelevant.
Our attempt in this paper is to offer a systematic framework with which to view Stand-up
comedy and to therefore also suggest that a deeply contextual understanding of different
forms of humour is required if we are to deconstruct the various, often contradictory,
responses to humour. As a cautionary note then, this paper discusses specifically Stand-Up
comedy and the framework we attempt to present should not be seen as a universal or
generalizable claim for humour as a whole. Furthermore, Stand-Up comedy in India needs to
be understood as a form of entertainment largely accessible to and tailored for elite
communities in urban centres. This paper is therefore a study of the manifestation of elite
culture as much as it is a study of humour.

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e
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
 To study which stand-up comedian is most popular in Kolkata.
 To study how is the stand-up comedy market in Kolkata.
 To study what would the ideal ticket price of a stand-up comedy
show in Kolkata.
 To study in which age group stand-up comedy is most popular.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research refers to search for knowledge. research methodology is a way to systematically solve
the research problem it may be understood as a science studying ho research is done
scientifically.
Sampling:
Sampling may be defined as the selection of some part of an aggregate or totalling on the basis
of which judgment or interface about the aggregate or totalling is made.
Sample size:
130 Questionnaires were distributed through Google Form among the respondents on the basis
of convenient sampling for the purpose of the research. Around 95 filled in questionnaires were
received out of which 81 were usable for the study.
Sources of data:
For this study primary data and secondary data were used.
Primary data:
The primary data are those which are collected a fresh and for the first time and thus happen to
be original in character. In order to collect this primary data, a questionnaire designed which
will cover the overall information needed to do this study.
Secondary data:
The secondary data was collected from different sources. In the current context the secondary
data as collected through published books, newspaper and internet.
Sample Profile:
Age group of 18 years to 45 years
Place of survey:
Survey was conducted on Kolkata

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Data analysis:
The analysis, the data researcher used simple percentage different charts, tables were drawn to
interpret the data.
Simple percentage:
A percentage analysis is used to interpret the data by the researcher for the analysis and
interpretation. Through the use of percentages, the data are reduced in the standard from with
base equal to 100 which fact facilitates relative comparisons. In the percentage analysis,
percentage is calculated by multiplying the number of respondents into hundred and it is
divided by the same size.
Simple percentage = (Number of Respondents X 100) / Sample Size

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LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
 The study restricted only on Kolkata city.
 Time constrain being one of the major limitations.
 81 people cannot be representative of the entire population of Kolkata.
Also, the sample group is focused on age category of 18 - 45 years. Hence,
the survey results are not possible to generalize as the sample does not
represent all age category that uses smartphone.
 The findings are based only on information given by the respondents. The
opinion given by the respondent may be base.

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ANALYSIS
After the data has been collected, it was tabulated and the research was presented followed by
analysis and interpretation to reach certain conclusion.

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Age Group
15%
3%
9%
73%
18 years to 24 years
Above 45 Years
1. Age Group of the Response:
Serial No. Age Group No. of Responses Percentage
1 18 years to 24 years 69 72.63%
2 25 years to 30 years 9 9.47%
3 36 years to 45 years 3 3.16%
4 Above 45 Years 14 14.74%
Total 95 100%
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 72.63% (69) of the respondent are in the age group of
18 years to 24 years, 9.47% (9) of the respondent are in the age group of 25 years to 30 years,
3.16% (3) of the respondent are in the age group of 36 years to 45 years and 14.74% (14) of
the respondent are in the age group of above 45 years.
But out of 95 responses only 81 responses are usable because 14 of the responses are not aware
of the Stand-up Comedy. So that 14 responses are eliminated. And the 14 unusable responses
are fall in to the age group of Above 45 Years of age.

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Gender
33%
67%
Female
Male
So, it is concluded that majority of the responses who know about the Stand-up comedy are
fall in the age group of 18 years to 24 years 72.63% (69) and the age group of above 45 years
14.74% (14) are not aware of stand-up comedy.
2. Gender of the responses:
Serial No. Sex No. of Responses Percentage
1. Female 27 33.33%
2. Male 54 66.67%
Total 81 100 %
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 33.33 % (27) of the respondent are Female and 66.67%
(54) of the respondent are Male.
So, it is concluded that majority of the responses are Male 66.67% (54).

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Occupation
4%
37%
55%
4%
Businessman
Employed
Homemaker
Student
3. Occupation of the respondents:
Serial No. Occupation No. of Responses Percentage
1 Businessman 3 3.70%
2 Employed 30 37.04%
3 Homemaker 3 3.70%
4 Student 45 55.56%
5 Retired 0 0%
Total 81 100 %
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 3.70 % (3) of the respondent are Businessman, 37.04%
(30) of the respondent are Employed, 3.70% (3) of the respondent are Home maker, 55.56%
(45) of the respondent are Student and none of the respondent is Retired.
So, it is concluded that majority of the responses are Student 55.56% (45).

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Monthly Income
7%
4%
25%
59%
5%
Not applicable
Below Rs. 15,000
Rs. 15,001 to Rs. 30,000
Rs. 30,001 to Rs. 45,000
Above Rs. 45,000
4. Monthly income of the respondents:
Serial No. Monthly Income No. of Responses Percentage
1 Not applicable 48 59.26%
2 Below Rs. 15,000 4 4.94%
3 Rs. 15,001 to Rs. 30,000 20 24.69%
4 Rs. 30,001 to Rs. 45,000 6 7.41%
5 Above Rs. 45,000 3 3.70%
Total 81 100%
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 59.26% (48) of the respondent have no Income, 4.94%
(4) of the respondent‘s income is below Rs. 15,000, 24.69% (20) of the respondent‘s income
is between Rs. 15,001 to Rs. 30,000, 7.41% (6) of the respondent‘s income is between Rs.
30,001 to 45,000 and 3.70% (3) of the respondent‘s income is above Rs. 45,000.
So, it is concluded that majority of the response have no income 59.26% (48).

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Source
YOUTUBE 85%
T.V. ADVERTISEMENT 11%
SOCIAL MEDIA 48%
PEERS/ FAMILY 7%
MOBILE PHONE WEBSITE 26%
MAGAZINE OR NEWS PAPER 7%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
5. Source of information about the Stand-up Comedy
Serial No. Source No. of Responses Percentage
1 Magazine or newspaper 6 7.41%
2 Mobile phone website 21 25.93%
3 Peers/ Family 6 7.41%
4 Social Media 39 48.15%
5 T.V. advertisement 9 11.11%
6 YouTube 69 85.19%
Total no of respondent 81
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that respondents get the information about Stand-up comedy
comes 7.41% (6) from Magazine or newspaper, 25.93% (21) form Mobile phone website,
7.41% (6) from Peers/ Family, 48.15% (39) from Social Media, 11.11% (9) from T.V.
advertisement and 85.19% (69) from YouTube.
So, it is concluded that majority of the response get the information about stand-up comedy
from YouTube 85.19% (69).

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Responces
22%
Yes
No
78%
6. No of respondent went to a Live Stand-up comedy show
Serial No. Particulars No. of Responses Percentage
1 Yes 18 22.22%
2 No 63 77.78%
Total 81 100.00%
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 22.22% (18) of the respondent went to a live stand-up
comedy show and 77.78% (63) of the respondent never went to a live stand-up comedy show.
So, it is concluded that majority of the responses are 77.78% (63) never went to a live stand-
up comedy show.

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Respondent
THEATER 33%
DANCE 15%
MUSIC 52%
COMEDY SHOW( NOT STANDUP COMEDY) 11%
NO 33%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
7. Live Show other than Stand-up comedy where the respondent
went to.
Serial No. Shows No. of Responses Percentage
1 No 27 33.33%
2 Comedy show (not Stand-Up Comedy) 9 11.11%
3 Music 42 51.85%
4 Dance 12 14.81%
5 Theatre 27 33.33%
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 33.33% (27) of the respondent never went to any live
show, 11.11% (9) of the respondent went to comedy show other than stand-up comedy show,
51.85% (42) of the respondent went to music show, 14.81% (12) of the respondent went to
Dance show and 33.33% (27) of the respondent went to Theatre show.
So, it is concluded that majority of the responses went to Music show 51.85% (42).

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No. of Responses
15%
Yes
No
85%
8. No of respondent know the name of any stand-up comedian
1 Yes 69 85.19%
2 No 12 14.81%
Total 81 100.00%
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 85.19% (69) of the respondent know the name of some
stand-up comedian and 14.81% (12) of the respondent don‘t know the name of any stand-up
comedian.
So, it is concluded that majority of the responses are 85.19% (69) know the name of some
stand-up comedian.

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Stand-up Comedian
63%
52% 52%
48%
41%
37% 37%
26% 26% 26%
19%
None of
them
Abhishek Abish Biswa Kanan Gill Karunesh Kenny Kunal Vipul Goel Vir Das
Upamanyu Mathew Kalyan
Rath
Talwar Sebastian Kamra
Zakir
Khan
9. Stand-up comedians are kwon by the respondent
Serial No. Name No. of Responses Percentage
1 None of them 21 25.93%
2 Abhishek Upamanyu 39 48.15%
3 Abish Mathew 30 37.04%
4 Biswa Kalyan Rath 30 37.04%
5 Kanan Gill 21 25.93%
6 Karunesh Talwar 21 25.93%
7 Kenny Sebastian 33 40.74%
8 Kunal Kamra 42 51.85%
9 Vipul Goel 15 18.52%
10 Vir Das 42 51.85%
11 Zakir Khan 51 62.96%

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Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 25.93% (21) of the respondent don‘t know any of this
Stand-up comedian, 48.15% (39) of the respondent knows Abhishek Upamanyu, 37.04% (30)
of the respondent knows Abish Mathew, 37.04% (30) of the respondent knows Biswa Kalyan
Rath, 25.93% (21) of the respondent knows Kanan Gill, 25.93% (21) of the respondent knows
Karunesh Talwar, 40.74% (33) of the respondent knows Kenny Sebastian, 51.85% (42) of the
respondent knows Kunal Kamra, 18.52% (15) of the respondent knows Vipul Goel, 51.85%
(42) of the respondent knows Vir Das and 62.96% (51) of the respondent knows Zakir Khan
So, it is concluded that majority of the respondent said Zakir khan 62.96% (51) is the most
popular stand-up comedian.

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Female Stand-up comedian
41%
33% 33%
26% 26%
19% 19%
None of them Aditi Mittal Kaneez Surka Neeti Palta Sumukhi Suresh Supriya Joshi Urooj Ashfaq
10. Female Stand-up comedians are kwon by the
respondent
1 None of them 27 33.33%
2 Aditi Mittal 27 33.33%
3 Kaneez Surka 21 25.93%
4 Neeti Palta 15 18.52%
5 Sumukhi Suresh 21 25.93%
6 Supriya Joshi 15 18.52%
7 Urooj Ashfaq 33 40.74%

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Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 33.33% (27) of the respondent don‘t know any of this
female Stand-up comedian, 33.33% (27) of the respondent knows Aditi Mittal, 25.93% (21) of
the respondent knows Kaneez Surka, 18.52 % (15) of the respondent knows Neeti Palta,
25.93% (21) of the respondent knows Sumukhi Suresh, 18.52 % (15) of the respondent knows
Supriya Joshi and 40.74% (33) of the respondent knows Urooj Ashfaq.
So, it is concluded that majority of the respondent said Urooj Ashfaq 40.74% (33) is the most
popular female stand-up comedian.
11. Other Stand-up comedians are kwon by the respondent
Apart from those above-mentioned stand-up comedians, respondent answer the name of some
Stand-up comedian. These popular stand-up comedians are Anubhav Singh Bassi, Akash
Gupta, Abhijit Ganguly, Akash Gupta, Akash Mehta, Kapil Sharma, Rahul Dua, Tanmay Bhat,
Knotty Commander and Jaspreet Singh.

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Favourite stand-up comedian
33%
26%
11%
6%
2% 4% 4%
5%
1% 4% 4%
12. Favorite Stand-up Comedian
1 No one 21 25.93%
2 Abhishek Upamanyu 2 2.47%
3 Anubhav Singh Bassi 3 3.70%
4 Biswa Kalyan Rath 3 3.70%
5 Jeeveshu Ahluwalia 1 1.23%
6 Kapil Sharma 9 11.11%
7 Knotty Commander 5 6.17%
8 Neeti Palta 3 3.70%
9 Rahul Dua 4 4.94%
10 Urooj Ashfaq 3 3.70%
11 Zakir Khan 27 33.33%
Total no of respondent 81 100.00%

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Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 25.93% (21) of the respondent don‘t have any favourite
Stand-up comedian, 2.47% (2) of the respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian is Abhishek
Upamanyu, 3.70% (3) of the respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian is Anubhav Singh
Basis, 3.70% (3) of the respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian is Biswa Kalyan Rath, 1.23%
(1) of the respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian is Jeeveshu Ahluwalia, 11.11% (9) of the
respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian is Kapil Sharna, 6.17% (5) of the respondent‘s
favourite stand-up comedian is Knotty Commander, 3.70% (3) of the respondent‘s favourite
stand-up comedian is Neeti Palta, 4.94% (4) of the respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian
is Rahul Dua, 3.70% (3) of the respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian is Urooj Ashfaq and
33.33% (27) of the respondent‘s favourite stand-up comedian is Zakir Khan.
So, it is concluded that majority of the respondent said Zakir Khan 33.33% (27) is the most
favourite stand-up comedian.

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Responses
41%
59%
Yes
No
13. Respondents are willing to go on a stand-up comedy
show which ticket price is Rs. 500/- or not
1 Yes 33 40.74%
2 No 48 59.26%
Total 81 100.00%
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 40.74% (33) of the respondent are willing to go on a
stand-up comedy show which ticket price is Rs. 500/- and 59.26% (48) of the respondent are
not willing to go on a stand-up comedy show which ticket price is Rs. 500/-.
So, it is concluded that majority of the respondent 59.26% (48) are not willing to go on a stand-
up comedy show which ticket price is Rs. 500/-.

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Amounts
78%
15%
5% 2%
0%
Rs. 250/- Rs. 500/- Rs. 700/- Rs. 1,000/- Above Rs. 1,000/-
14. The amount respondent can pay for a stand-up comedy
show
Serial No. Amount No. of Responses Percentage
1 Rs. 250/- 63 77.78%
2 Rs. 500/- 12 14.81%
3 Rs. 700/- 4 4.94%
4 Rs. 1,000/- 2 2.47%
5 Above Rs. 1,000/- 0 0%
Total no of respondent 81 100.00%
Interpretation:
From the above table it is inferred that 77.78% (63) of the respondent are willing to pay Rs.
250/- for a stand-up comedy show, 14.81% (12) of the respondent are willing to pay Rs. 500/-
for a stand-up comedy show, 4.94% (4) of the respondent are willing to pay Rs. 700/- for a
stand-up comedy show, 2.47% (2) of the respondent are willing to pay Rs. 1,000/- for a stand-
up comedy show and none of the respondent 0% (0) are not willing to go on a stand-up comedy
show which ticket price is above Rs. 1,000/-.
So, it is concluded that majority of the respondent 77.78% (63) are willing to pay Rs. 250/- for
a stand-up comedy show.

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FINDINGS
1. Majority of the responses who know about the Stand-up comedy are fall in the age
group of 18 years to 24 years 72.63% (69).
2. Age group of above 45 years 14.74% (14) are not aware of stand-up comedy.
3. Majority of the responses are Male 66.67% (54).
4. Majority of the responses are Student 55.56% (45).
5. Majority of the response have no income 59.26% (48).
6. Majority of the response get the information about stand-up comedy from YouTube
85.19% (69).
7. Majority of the responses are 77.78% (63) never went to a live stand-up comedy show.
8. Majority of the responses went to Music show 51.85% (42).
9. Majority of the responses are 85.19% (69) know the name of some stand-up comedian.
10. Majority of the respondent said Zakir khan 62.96% (51) is the most popular stand-up
comedian.
11. Majority of the respondent said Urooj Ashfaq 40.74% (66) is the most popular female
stand-up comedian.
12. Majority of the respondent said Zakir Khan 33.33% (27) is the most favorite stand-up
comedian.
13. Majority of the respondent 59.26% (48) are not willing to go on a stand-up comedy
show which ticket price is Rs. 500/-.
14. Majority of the respondent 77.78% (63) are willing to pay Rs. 250/- for a stand-up
comedy show.

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SCOPE OF FUTURE STUDY
 The place of research can be extended.
 Sample size of the research can be increased.
 Research can be done among the people of different age group.
 Research can be done on a different genre of comedy
 More objective can be determining in the future research

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CONCLUSION
Comedy makes our immunity system better. A laughter van makes your day. After a long hectic
day, a great laughter show can release your pain. So, a stand-up comedian can make you happy.
From this above study we can conclude that Stand-up comedy is more popular on young
generation rather than above 45 Years aged persons. This study shows that people prefer to
watch these shows on mobile or computer screen on YouTube rather than went to a theatre.
Also, people don‘t comfortable to pay Rs 500/- on a stand-up comedy show.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Appadurai, Arjun. 1996. Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
 Critchley, Simon. 2002. On Humour. New York: Routledge.
 Sacks, Harvey. 2010. Lectures on Conversation: Vol II. New Jersey: WileyBlackwell.
 Hillenbrand, Fritz Karl Michael. Underground Humour in Nazi Germany, 1933- 1945.
Routledge, 2002.
 Powell, Chris, and George EC Paton. Humour in society: Resistance and control.
Macmillan, 1988.
 Finney, Gail. Look who's laughing: gender and comedy. Vol. 1. Taylor & Francis,
1994.
 Rodrigues, Suzana B., and David L. Collinson. "'Having fun‘? Humour as resistance
in Brazil." Organization studies 16.5 (1995): 739-768.
 Koestler, Arthur. "The act of creation." (1964): 1978.
 Perez, Raul. 2013. Learning to make racism funny in the ‗color-blind‘ era: Standup
comedy students, performance strategies, and the (re)production of racist jokes in
public. Discourse & Society 24 (4): 478-503.
 Dyer, Richard. 1999. The Role of Stereotypes. Paul Marris and Sue Thornham (ed.)
Media Studies: A Reader. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press

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ANNEXURE
A research on Stand-up Comedy market in Kolkata
1. Age *
 18 years to 24 years 25 years to 30 years
 36 years to 45 years Above 45 Years
2. Gender *
 Male  Female Other
3. Occupation *
 Employed  Businessman Retired
 Student Homemaker
Monthly income *
Do You hear about Stand-Up comedy? *
 Yes No
Where did you hear about Stand-Up comedy? *
Please tick all that apply
 YouTube  Social Media Peers/ Family
 Mobile phone website Magazine or news paper
 T.V. advertisement Other: _______________
Did you go on a live stand-up comedy show? *
 Yes No
Did you go to any live performance other than comedy? *
Please tick all that apply
 No  Comedy show (not Stand-Up Comedy) Music
 Dance  Theatre Other: _______________
Do you know any other Stand-up Comedian? *
 Yes No
 Not applicable  Below Rs. 15,000
 Rs. 15,001 to Rs. 30,000  Rs. 30,001 to Rs. 45,000
 Above Rs. 45,000

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Do you know any of these Stand-up Comedian? *
 None of them Abhishek Upamanyu
 Abish Mathew Biswa Kalyan Rath
 Kanan Gill Karunesh Talwar
 Kenny Sebastian Kunal Kamra
 Vipul Goel  Vir Das
 Zakir Khan
Do you know any of these Female Stand-up Comedian? *
 None of them Aditi Mittal
 Kaneez Surka Neeti Palta
 Sumukhi Suresh Supriya Joshi
 Urooj Ashfaq

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If you remember any other Stand-up comedian please specify the name of them
You can answer as many as you want
____________________________
Who is your favourite stand-up comedian? *
If your answer is no one the specify it as "No"
____________________________
Are you willing to go on a stand-up comedy show which ticket price is Rs.500/-? *
 Yes No
How much you will pay for a live Stand-up comedy show *
 Rs 250/-  Rs 500/- Rs 700/-
 Rs 1,000/- Above Rs 1,000/-

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