The audience for Bengali stand-up comedy is limited now: Soumit Deb

It was World Laughter Day on Sunday. And while stand-up comedy has become a global phenomenon in recent years, with top artistes not just making a name for themselves both online and offline but also earning handsomely, the scene in Bengal, especially Bengali stand-up comedy, is still in its nascent stage. We spoke to Kolkata-based stand-up comic Soumit Deb about it.
Reiterating that the Bengali stand-up comedy scene is still not there yet, Soumit said, “Two clubs dedicated to stand-up comedy acts have been formed in Kolkata, where one can regularly enjoy Bengali stand-up acts. The audience, however, is limited as of now. This may change when the number of seats sold rise from 30 to 300. Actually, people who consider stand-up comedy an art form are still very few, but the feedback has been positive till now,” he said.