The business of hurting people: How much do these comedians earn?

Tanmay Bhat, a known member of the band-wagon ‘All India Bakchod’ or AIB has done it again. It is evident that the comedy business is increasingly becoming impossible to ignore, especially the Comedy outfit AIB which is known to ruffle some feathers each time they come out with one of their videos. They have 1.2 million You tube subscribers and there is no reason, they won’t sell digitally? Their content in bolder, edgier and smarter than the average TV content.

Most of the team members at AIB, Tanmay Bhat and Gur Simran Khamba, have written for the television in the past deliberately chose digital platform, in a desire to break away from the regular TV form but why does the average TV audience who doesn’t understand the murkier content, feel outraged or is it something done on purpose? Has ‘comedy’ become the business of hurting people’s sentiments to make them accepting in the long run?

Making money is not a big task anymore, with as many as 2 million subscribers a year AIB is fast turning into a brand. Although producing a video with an experienced director takes around INR 1.5 - 1.75 lakh, they have begun having a gross annual income of around $4,40,000. The transition and tolerance has come in slow but soon with its evident social media popularity, they have tried taking it forward with a television show for a wider reach. Snapdeal, is also supporting AIB and sponsoring a sum for their productions.

The Indian comedy stage overall is also fast evolving and has seen a tremendous growth in the past three to five years. With a show like ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ and its sky-rocketing TRP’s, many upcoming stand-up artistes have got a chance to test their market. Kapil Sharma charges INR 10 - 12 lakh, a day for a show compared with INR 4-5 lakh when he started out. Today he commands around INR 10-12 lakh each day per show. Sharma's emergence has catalyzed other comedy shows and artistes in the entertainment front. At present, his show ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ has achieved a cult status of sorts, making the funnyman a star in his own right. Kapil has won millions of hearts with his remarkable comic timing. Almost all Bollywood celebs make sure that they appear on Kapil’s show to promote their films. This star born out of the idiot box has made it so big that he reportedly charges INR 1 crore for a live gig.

For instance Sunil Grover, who played a side-kick in Sharma’s show, tried out to start his own program – ‘Mad in India’. It didn’t do so well but of course, there were other reasons for it. Nevertheless, Grover who has been an active part of the comedy world for almost a decade, now charges anything between INR 8-10 lakh per show.

Many more comedians and presenters who have seen the grey side of the business of long, are now making a moolah. Kiku Sharda, Ali Asgar, Bharti Singh have made an identity for themselves in the recent years are finally able to encash their worth. These days they easily command a fee around INR 5-7 lakh per show. If we talk about jodis and duo performances, Krushna and Sudesh cannot be ignored at all. They too are earning close INR 14-15 lakh per show for performing together.

Tickling the funny bone is no joke in the industry and the comedian needs to have a niche audience who appreciates his or her humor and the money is ready to flow in. Advertisers are set to pay 30% premium for shows like ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’. However, it is difficult for transforming 2,00,000 into actual You Tube audience, online monetizing remains a challenge for AIB.   

One can understand, if closely observed that the business of comedy is increasingly becoming a competitive profession. A lot of comedian used to complain that they don’t make enough money, it in fact has actually become one of the most competitive professions in the entertainment industry. A lot of comedians who are for fame take this as a challenge to evolve with time, generate original content, have their own signature style and with the potential to be funny for a wider audience.

For talents like Vir Das, there are barely any competition. India has hardly 50 English comics, so he also commands around INR 2.5 lakh per show. The comedy fraternity is seeing a lot of young talent from India and abroad joining in, such as’ Kenny Sebastian, Russell Peters and more, who like to be creative, dare to be different and rarely attempt to be politically correct.