Here's what excites me about the entertainment scene over the next few years: Indian Stand-Up Comedy. I know, people think it's already arrived. But I've always felt it's one of the few areas in the creative arts where commerce grew faster than the artists.
Due to the content boom, the industry took off with promising but mostly work-in-progress comedians. The scene started blowing up after 2013-2014, and a lot of people got super famous thanks to a 10-20 minute clip.
Comedians—through no fault of their own—got famous before they could get good. The artists hadn't hit their stride yet.
In many other adjacent fields in entertainment, you get good first, then you get a stage. You earn your moment under the sun only after putting in the hours.
For example, in the US (the birthplace of modern-day stand-up comedy), it takes comedians 10 to 15, sometimes even 20 years, to get noticed. So when they hit the big leagues, their stagecraft is something else. They were given a one-hour special only after probably a decade in the business.
Back home, in 2016-17, demand was so high that people were getting specials based on just a couple of viral videos.
Indian stand-up is now around 12-13 years old. A lot of the famous comics who started out during that era have worked their ass off and are finally getting really good.
They've had more stage time, more life experience, and have developed their craft and voice. I believe the next few decades of the Indian stand-up scene will truly mindblowing.
Dekhiye... Main koi writer nahi hun.
But this is one of the articles that I am most proud of. Had written it on the eve of his 100th test. Happy Birthday, Virat.