As the popularity of stand-up comedy has been growing in Nepal, famous Indian comedian Ravi Gupta performed in Kathmandu. On Saturday evening, his performance, which saw two packed shows at Pragya Pratishthan, brought up the Gen-G protests in Nepal.

Not only Ravi, but his colleague Saurabh Pandey also jokingly praised the influence of Gen-Gs on Nepal's political and social aspects. Ravi, as soon as he took to the stage, said that he had to wait three months to perform in Nepal due to the Gen-G demonstration and that Gen-Gs from other countries were not as brave as those in Nepal.

Gupta's performance, which satirized several issues, especially those of India and Nepal, was mostly watched by young people. The event titled 'Kal Ki Chinta Nahi Karta' was organized by Khalti Events and Pinnacle Entertainment. Gupta, who had previously visited Nepal personally, had praised the food and culture here and joked that half of his plate got wet during the heavy rains during the last monsoon season. Saying that the Nepali style of speaking Hindi is delicious, he narrated some interesting dialogues with his Nepali fans in his well-known satirical style.

Gupta, who has been active in stand-up for the past decade, is one of the most popular comedians in India. He also likes to vlog during his travels, and his performances are on local topics and in pure Hindi. Born in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh and currently living in Delhi, Gupta is especially known for his soft nature and his ability to present simple topics of daily life in a humorous way.

One of his video clips, ‘Mein Kal Ki Chinta Nahi Karta’ (I don’t worry about tomorrow), went viral on social media. His style is called ‘observational comedy’. Gupta has about 2 million subscribers on his YouTube channel and more than 3.8 million followers on Instagram. His videos are also popular in Nepal.

Many Indian stand-up comedians like Ravi, who have gone viral on the internet, have recently started coming to Nepal for shows. Last January, Anubhav Singh Bassi hosted a show titled ‘Kisi Ko Batana Mat’ at Pragya. Before that, Abhishek Upamanyu had sold out his famous series ‘Toxic’ in Kathmandu. Comedians like Zakir Khan and Kanan Gill have also come to Nepal.

In Nepal, stand-up comedy is still limited to a certain group in urban areas. In India, it has developed as an industry. It has also started influencing people’s lifestyles, advertising markets and social discourse. Some have analyzed that now is like a ‘special era’ for stand-up.

Amazon Prime, Netflix OTT platforms are investing heavily in Indian stand-up shows and comedians. Apart from Hindi and English, there is a trend of stand-ups in regional languages ​​of India like Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Punjabi, Bengali. Comedians also earn income from ticket sales, YouTube ads, brand partnerships, international events, private corporate presentations, etc.

Famous comedian Vir Das, who is considered the 'global ambassador' or global ambassador for Indian stand-up comedy, is also considered a bridge between Indian comedy and international audiences. In 2023, he even won the International Emmy Award in the comedy category. Before that, in 2021, a case was filed against him in India after he satirized religious conservatism, growing political bigotry, and violence against women in India at the John F. Kennedy Center in the US.