F for The Viral (F)ever aka TVF

TVF is a familiar name for those who thrive on web series. They are the pioneers for leading the change in the mode of entertainment in India. A huge number of the population, especially the youth, desired for better quality shows than what the TV serials were offering. TVF captured this market through shows like ‘Barely speaking with Arnub’and ‘Permanent Roommates’. Over time, the quality of their content grew better just like the aging of fine wine. In the last few years, TVF has been associated with creating shows like ‘TVF Pitchers’, ‘TVF Tripling’, ‘Chai Sutta Chronicles’, ‘Tech conversations with Dad’, ‘Bisht please’, ‘Humorously Yours’, ‘Fathers’, ‘Bachelors’, ‘Inmates’, ‘Awkward conversation with parents’ among many others. The underlying connecting factor for most of the shows is a generous dose of relatable humor.

TVF team- Source Inc42
TVF team- Source Inc42

The brand started exploring different genres like family stories (Yeh Mera Family), new generation romance (Flames), corporate life saga (Cubicles), harsh realities of the education sector (‘Kota Factory’ – one of the best series Indian content creators have ever produced) and the latest buzz creator ‘Panchayat’ (giving a sneak-peek into rural India).

TVF has 7 million subscribers on its YouTube channel. It also has a live app TVF play. A bunch of their shows has been successfully running on Netflix (‘Yeh Meri Family’, ‘Engineering Girls’, ‘Girls Hostel’, ‘Collage Romance’ and ‘Inmates’) and Amazon Prime (‘Kota Factory’, ‘Panchayat’).

Kota Factory - Source socialsamosa
Kota Factory – Source socialsamosa

A couple of years ago, the company had faced flak for the supposed involvement of their founder Arunabh Kumar in sexual harassment case but the management underwent an internal restructuring to facilitate Dhawal Gusain, Karan Chowdhry and Sameer Saxena steer it back to creating quality content and successful shows. TVF has also given the industry a host of talented actors like Jitendra Kumar (Jeetu), Sumeet Vyas, Shivankit Parihar, Ahsas Channa, among many others.

This is the 6th post in the #BlogchatterA2Z series under the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona’. Stay tuned as I reveal the identity of the hilarious stand-up comedian in my post for G tomorrow.

You can read all the previous posts in this challenge here. Don’t forget to get your daily dose of laughter through this video.

 

 

E for East India Comedy (EIC)

The dynamic group was one of the first few joint collaborative efforts of 7 Indian stand-up comedians Atul Khatri, Sorabh Pant, Sapan Verma, Sahil Shah, Angad Singh Ranyal, Azeem Banatwalla, and Kunal Rao. After Atul Khatri and Sorabh Pant left the channel, the rest of the five comedians have been running the show and taking pot-boilers at the current political and socio-economic situation in the country through their YouTube channel.

EIC- the original team
Kunal Rao, Sahil Shah, Angad Singh Ranyal, Sorabh Pant, Sapan Verma, Atul Khatri, Azeem Banatwalla – the original EIC team (source: Deccan Herald)

The performers also have their solo shows on the channel where they speak about relatable content. On Amazon Prime, Sapan Verma has his stand up special called ‘Obsessive Comedic Disorder’, Azeem Banatwalla’s show is titled ‘Cometh The Hour’ and Angad Singh Ranyal tickles the funny bone with ‘Kaafi Filmy.’ But what is unique about this channel is that it extends its spread to include musical comedies, sketches, talk shows about Bollywood and charchas on relevant topics. My favorites on this channel are the outrage videos where one of the comedians speaks on uncomfortable topics like trolling, animal abuse, SSC scam, inaccessible India among many others.

This is the fifth post in the Blogchatter A2Z challenge under the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona.’ Stay tuned to know the featured content creator for F on Monday.

You can check all the previous posts over the weekend here. Enjoy this hilarious video by Angad Singh Ranyal, one of the EIC group members.

D for Vir (D)as

Most of the readers would remember Vir Das for acting in a couple of Bollywood movies (Go Goa Gone, Delhi Belly). But what makes him stand-out is the fact that he is one of the first few successful stand-up comedians taking the craft of humor to an international level. In 2017, he was the first Indian stand-up comedian to debut on Netflix with his show ‘Abroad Understanding.’ The versatile performer has hosted shows across different genres, written for esteemed magazines and repeatedly made it to the Netflix platform with shows like ‘Losing It’ and his latest, ‘For India.’

Vir Das - Source:LBB
Vir Das – Source: LBB

Known for his strong opinions on politics, society and human behavior, Das is often seen speaking about the uncomfortable and bitter realities coated with a layer of humor. His bold views have subjected him to trolling but the sassy performer has delivered a comeback in his classic witty style.

This is the fourth post in the Blogchatter A2Z series under the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona.’ See you tomorrow as I disclose the name featured in the post for E.

You can read the previous posts here. Have fun watching this clip from Vir Das’ first Netflix special.

C for Captain Nick

Last year, I came across this channel on YouTube called Captain Nick. Content creator Niharicka Singh who runs this channel posts videos of different formats but most of these are hilarious and ridiculously relatable. She plays multiple characters in her comedy sketches, the most famous among this being Mataji. There are comedy videos, sketches, vlogs and a couple of challenges but the intrinsic factor that connects all of these is the underlying humor.

Captain Nick - IWMBuzz
Captain Nick – Souce: IWMBuzz

If there’s one aspect that makes her stand out, it is her straightforward nature and honesty that comes across as her USP in the videos. A former RJ, Captain Nick is ruling the trending list with her characters and content.

This is the third post in the Blogchatter A2Z series under the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona’. I hope to see you tomorrow as I reveal the name of the featured artist in the post for D.

You can catch up with the previous posts here. Enjoy this video by Captain Nick as I leave you with a smile.

 

 

 

 

B for Biswa Kalyan Rath

The first time I watched Biswa Kalyan Rath, more popularly known as Biswa was on the hilarious Bollywood review series called Pretentious movie reviews where he shared the stage with Kanan Gill.  I watched a couple of his videos on his YouTube channel and was blown away by the way he found humor in the mundane things. Next came his stand-up special ‘Biswa mast aadmi’ on Amazon Prime. One look at the video and the introduction is bound to crack people up. He spoke about his childhood, his parents (his father Jagan Mohan Rath became a famous character), regular topics like booking an Uber and managed to keep the audience entertained till the last joke. What was unique about the show was that he hardly took any pause between the segments.

Biswa_Kalyan_Rath
Biswa Kayan Rath: Source – insider.in

He has made a special appearance in a couple of shows like ‘Better life Foundation.’ but it was after he turned a story writer and creator with the show ‘Laakhon Mein Ek’ that Biswa went beyond his stand-up comic persona to showcase the versatile artist within. Both the seasons of the show on Amazon prime dealt with the harsh realities of life but were packed with sarcasm and dark humor. The IIT-Kharagpur alumnus has also been a judge on various seasons of comicstaan and was last seen in his second stand-up solo on Amazon prime titled ‘Sushi’. Biswa’s words have the endearing aspect of being relatable while delivering a punch under the veil of humor.

This is the second post in the BlogchatterA2Z challenge under the theme ‘Laugh in the time of Corona’ I hope to see you tomorrow as I reveal the one who gets featured in my third post for C.

You can read my previous post in the series here. Don’t forget to enjoy humor in Biswa’s style in the video below.

Thirty things that bring happiness to my life

wowbadge
WOW Post badge

If someone asks me what makes me happy, I can probably recollect only a couple of things that really make me feel like I’m on top of the world. But till date, I have never really sat down and listed them. This prompt gave me an opportunity to take a break from the usual routine and reflect instead. I started remembering moments, people and things that made me happy. So here’s my most precious thirty –

30-things-that-make-you-happy
30 things that make you happy – BlogAdda WOW prompt
  • The three men in my life

My toddler, my husband and my father bring out the best in me. I am the happiest when I am around them. Spending time with my father, having a heartfelt conversation with my husband and cuddling my toddler always bring a smile to my face. Also, the story time that I have with my toddler before he sleeps every night last is our moment of togetherness and bonding.

  • Friends

I have a handful of friends but I am grateful for their presence in my life. Conversations with them really lift up my spirits.

  • Writing

I quit my job as a Banker to chase my passion for writing last year. And till date, I consider this to be the best decision of my life. When I write, I am the happiest.

  • The tag of a published author

This year in the month of May, I published my debut novella ‘Deal of Death’ on the Blogchatter platform. Until then I was a blogger but this opportunity made me an author. While I am still giving it finishing touches before putting it up on Amazon, I will always consider the moment of transitioning into a published author as one of the happiest ones of my life.

  • Rains

I love the rainy season, especially if I have the option to stay indoors. The smell of the earth after rains is probably one of my most favorite ones.

  • Books

Purchasing and reading them, especially thrillers gives me a high. I am still orthodox in the way I read my books. I prefer to hold them while reading instead of the e-book version. Also, the smell of a new book is beautiful.

Continue reading “Thirty things that bring happiness to my life”