The biggest hurdles faced by stand-up comedians across various facets of life
Comedy is an integral part of our lives, and in these tough times when most people suffer from mental health issues or stress and anxiety, it’s safe to say that comedy works as dopamine to our body, and because of this, the comedy industry is in its boom. A diverse range of comedians are coming forward to try their talents to entertain us and bring a little light to our lives by making us laugh.
While we know that the comedy scene in India is at its height and is only expanding. The stand-up comedians are giving their all to make a name for themselves, we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the comedians face hurdles at different steps while climbing up the ladder, and while the road might be long and the journey tough, many manage to achieve their goals and sometimes when you face hurdles, it makes you more creative or in this case funnier! in the end, there’s nothing to lose. Keeping that in mind, here is a list of all the hurdles that make the diamonds out of the pressure-
Hurdles faced by the comedians
1. The constant comparison with Sharmaji ka beta
Sharmaji ka Beta is the SI unit of comparison which is only found in India. For Indian parents, the real definition of perfection is “Sharmaji Ka beta”, no matter how much you love or do well in your particular field, it will somehow be less than him and our parents will never forget to remind us of that. For the comedians in India, this comparison comes naturally and in order to countue pursuing their art, they have to deal with all the pressures that comes with the society.
2. The censor board of religious and political interference
Writing jokes might sound uncomplicated but bringing them out in front of the world takes a lot more courage than you can imagine as these days comedians have to keep a check on every word and reference they are using in there are always some people who take the jokes too seriously. The comedians also sometimes take the censor certificates to prove to the audience that their shows are watchable and it is a fact that most of the comedians are running their script through lawyers to not fall victim to this problem.
3. Competition with other entertainment formats
Even though comedy is a big hit today, but still there are many entertainment formats that people like to go and watch. Especially when the other is a bigger star, people would rather pay for them and not for a new comedian. That makes it all the more difficult for the newcomers to create a name for themselves but eventually, the hard work and struggles never goes to waste.
4. Internet Trolls
One of the biggest hurdles for every artist is Internet trolls. The trolls are the people on the Internet who just want to provoke and upset the artists online for their own amusement. While it might sound not big of an issue, it does take a toll on the mental health of the artists and the comedians, which sometimes even ends up with the artist being depressed or demotivated, resulting in a lack of creativity and confidence.
5. People expect them to be funny 24/7
It’s true that to be a comedian, one should be funny. While the comedians have a character to perform on the stage, they still have a life outside and some people just can’t understand it. These expectations of people sometimes are very heavy which is again a big hurdle for comedians.
6. The struggle of clean comedy
Clean comedy has become a very rare sight these days. People like a bit of controversy or adult content in comedy shows that is why the clean comedians are struggling. While many people who go to watch the shows with their families and kids prefer the clean content but is also true that clean comedy is struggling when compared to adult comedy shows.
7. Reactions of audience
It’s an undeniable fact that many most comedians if not all get a bit anxious when it comes to putting their content out there. Since they have no idea how the audience might react. We have all seen examples of shows where audiences’ reactions resulted in a big fiasco that became a topic of news and criticism.
8. The constant pressure of fresh content
Writing the script takes a lot of time for the comedians. While the comedians use the same script for a long time which is only fair given the hard work gone into writing it, there’s no doubt that they can’t perform the same show in front of the same audience. The problem arises when they have to perform a corporate show with the same audience twice.
9. Allegations of plagiarism
Many comedians have been accused of plagiarizing their content which hampers their reputation as an artist. The allegations of plagiarism are a very common hurdle and sometimes even unknowingly the comedians fall victim to it even if done with or without purpose.
10. The perception that women aren’t funny: enough
There is no doubt that there are certain prejudices against women in almost every field and that’s also true with comedy. The idea that women aren’t funny has been going on for ages and we still hear it from people who don’t know any better. While the women in comedy are evidently killing it, there’s no doubt that they have to struggle with not only the same hurdles faced by men but also the opinions which come with being a woman in the industry.
The comedians are definitely reaching stars and whatnot with their talent and even with all these problems and hurdles thrown to their face, they manage to climb this ladder of success. While these problems are a sky full of difficulties, here are some bulletproof comedians who have managed to make it big-
Kapil Sharma
Kapil Sharma is a household name today, but the king of comedy had to overcome a lot of hurdles and difficulties to reach where he is now. Kapil Sharma started working from a very young age as his father was diagnosed with cancer. He was also rejected from the auditions of the Laughter Challenge but he never lost hope and auditioned again, ending up winning the show in 2007. He has also been a victim to online trolls and abuses but in the end, we all know he came out as a winner.
Zakir Khan
There is no one like Zakir Khan today, but the famous comedian had to struggle a lot to reach this place. From lying to his family about getting a job to taking up odd jobs to earn a livelihood. But like they say everything happens for a reason and he met some good people who motivated him and helped him to perform and that’s how we all got to know this gem.
Neville Shah
Neville Shah has been vocal about his mental health and struggles with depression after his divorce and mother’s death. He might laugh and make you laugh out loud from the stage but the life of artists is not always all stars and sparkle.
After learning about these struggle stories of these invincible comedians, we can only say that even sticks and stones can’t break their bones!
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