Why comedy is working for Netflix in India

Why comedy is working for Netflix in India

Laughter is the best medicine, and it was what people rushed to during the Covid pandemic. OTT platforms played nice chemists and handed us comedy shows, just like OTCs (over-the-counter) drugs. The pandemic is a distant memory, but even four years later, the love for comedy is as fresh as it was the first time. Â

It’s all about the demand and supply dynamics. Streaming platforms cashed it during the pandemic and continue to do so even now.Â

Comedy is a dead serious business for all OTT platforms. And Indian comedy shows are ranking on global charts for Netflix.

Amazon Prime was the first off the line with shows like Comicstaan and stand-up comics like Zakir Khan.Â

However, with its continuous fresh content, streaming giant Netflix seems to have not only caught up, but is taking the lead.

While Netflix India is focusing on every genre, it looks like it is going big on comedy. It’s paying off too.

Be it the recently streamed ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’, with new episodes airing every Saturday, or the courtroom drama ‘Mamla Legal Hai’, which has been revived for season 2, Netflix is wooing the audience with its range of comic offerings.Â

“No one else is focusing on comedy in India the way Netflix is. The genre has always been a priority for us and our comedy repertoire spans a wide spectrum — from award-winning stand-up specials to super hit genre-bending series to the nation’s favourite comedy formats. Netflix is the home for best comedy content in India,” Tanya Bami, Series Head of Netflix India, tells IndiaToday.In.

NETFLIX AND LOL

Netflix India’s latest comedy offering ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ has been trending not just in India but across the globe.

In just two days of its launch, it landed at the third spot on Netflix’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV list and got 2.5 million views. It has trended in 14 countries, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Maldives.

The show was also mentioned in the recent Ormax weekly list of most-viewed shows and movies from the Indian streaming space. It continued to be on the Top 10 list globally in the second week as well.

It was exactly because of this global reach of an OTT platform like Netflix that household-favourite Kapil Sharma crossed over from TV. Television channels are available in select countries, while Netflix streams in 190 countries.

“I will always be grateful for the journey I have had, and I have deep gratitude towards the audience who have loved the content that we create. With purely growth in mind and the want to reach out to a wider audience, after all that I have done so far, streaming seemed to be a very natural progression,” Kapil Sharma tells IndiaToday.In.

“To be honest, we identified there’s a growing demand worldwide for the kind of content we do, and streaming allows you to consume content anytime and anywhere. We just wanted to be available for everyone, whoever thought — if only this show was available in our country — well, now we are,” says Kapil Sharma.Â

Anukalp Goswami, showrunner and director of ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’, highlights the challenges of taking local content to a global audience.

“The audience base for streaming is very broad and diverse with Netflix streaming in over 190 countries. As writers, we need to constantly come up with ideas that appeal to a larger audience while staying true to our original signature essence,” Anukalp Goswami tells IndiaToday.In.

And what is it about partnering with Netflix?

“The best part about writing this show for Netflix is that we can take bigger creative swings with the jokes, the sketches or even the characters while still focusing on tight scripts and timing,” says Anukalp Goswami.

For the OTT platform, it is about serving diverse content to diverse geographies.Â

“With the addition of India’s beloved comedian Kapil Sharma to our lineup, we’re reaching even broader audiences, both locally and internationally. So, whether it’s Vir Das’ ability to connect with diaspora and local audiences alike or Kapil Sharma’s universal appeal across geographies,” Netflix Series Head Tanya Bami tells IndiaToday.In.

The reception that ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ has received is encouraging, according to Kapil Sharma.

“The reception to our premiere episode has been heartwarming. It reassures us that we are on the right track. With ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’, we already consider ourselves winners with the kind of love we are getting from our audience,” says Kapil Sharma.

So serious is the business of comedy that stars are coming to ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ to promote their films, one being as serious as Imtiaz Ali’s ‘Amar Singh Chamkila’.Â

WHY VIR DAS, KAPIL SHARMA CHOSE NETFLIX

Comedy from India has paid off for Netflix on the international awards stage too. Vir Das, who has been a prize catch for Netflix India, brought home an Emmy.

Vir Das was nominated for International Emmys for his Netflix comedy special Vir Das: Landing and won the International Emmy in the Unique Comedy Special category. Â

But what drew comedians’ comic Vir Das to Netflix?

“Netflix has never expected anything except for ‘just be funny’. I’ve yet to get, like a creative note from Netflix in four specials that I have done with them. I do a special and then get a phone call saying, ‘Hey we should do another’,” Vir Das tells IndiaToday.In, highlighting the creative liberty given by the OTT platform.

“So, every now and then, Netflix will just give me a call and be like, ‘Yeah, let’s talk about the world and just be funny’. We generally don’t talk about what the jokes are going to be,” he adds.

Not just creative liberty, Vir Das says Netflix also understood and supported how he wanted to deliver his specials.

“Typically, when Americans do specials, those tend to have a lot of swag and a lot of big lights. I never quite felt like that was me. Netflix India actually had a big part to play in making my specials more minimalistic and intimate like I wanted them,” Vir Das explains.

“I’m proud to say that I was the first Netflix product out of India. My first special predated the Sacred Games, and a lot of Netflix programming. So, it’s nice to be the first Indian to get up there,” says Vir Das.

He says the association with Netflix opened up a whole new world for him, literally.

“It really did change my life. I had never done a world tour before. Then suddenly this special comes out, and I’m able to go to 19 countries, and now it’s about 32-33 countries. Then, to win an Emmy is tremendous, both on a professional and personal level. To go with Netflix to get an Emmy back for India was a tremendous experience that all of us really value,” he says.

Kapil Sharma says associating with the international streaming platform helped him understand the global audience better.

“Netflix as a brand and as a platform really got our creative process and collaborated with us with an open mind. While we know our brand of comedy, Netflix understands the evolving tastes of the audience and helped us understand the global audience better,” Kapil Sharma tells IndiaToday.In.

Artists emphasise that Netflix gives them creative freedom. That, in fact, works in the platform’s favour.

“Some creators we work with such as Raj and DK, Abhishek Chaubey and Saurabh Khanna, have a unique tone in their work which blends comedy into whichever genre they choose, and it has also given us breakout success with our shows like gangster comedy ‘Guns & Gulaabs’, workplace comedy ‘Maamla Legal Hai’ and an exceptional series like ‘Kota Factory’, among others. We’re proud to showcase the comedic genius of talents like Vir Das, whose Emmy-winning specials have resonated with audiences in India and globally,” Netflix Series Head Tanya Bami tells IndiaToday.In.

What can’t be missed in Bami’s list is the wide range of comedy genres that the streaming platform is offering.

HOW COMEDIES ARE PICKED BY NETFLIX

So, how does Netflix decide which shows they will be streaming on their platform?

The process, according to Tanya Bami, follows a simple rule — if it makes you laugh, it’s gold.

“Having said that, I think comedy is the most rigorous and the most difficult genre to program and to write for. It’s very difficult to top yourself, joke on joke, episode after episode and one gag after the other,” she says.

“The most crucial element in creating comedy content is the writers room. The entire process is probably more intensive than most other genres because of the intensity required to really crack those jokes which are specific to characters, make people laugh and is able to land across a wide audience cohort,” she adds.

Bami also points out, “Comedy is a serious business for us. And we invest in bringing the best content from the genre on the service. Our commitment to the genre has been intensive and hence we’ve hosted workshops with international creators/ experts to develop and curate sitcoms and that has resulted in outstanding series such as ‘Maamla Legal Hai’, which trended on the No. 1 spot in India for four consecutive weeks and continues to be in the Top 10.”

The courtroom drama has claimed the No. 1 spot for four weeks since its release on March 1 this year. It trended globally in the Top 10 non-English TV list for two weeks and has already had 2 million views, according to data provided by Netflix.

WHAT’S NEXT IN COMEDY FOR NETFLIX?

That Netflix is married to comedy is clear from the upcoming projects.

“There is another season of ‘Maamla Legal Hai’ coming. We are also planning a curated approach with 13 episodes per season for ‘The Great Indian Kapil Show’ and we’ll see a new season later this year,” says Tanya Bami.

“We also have director Luv Ranjan’s ‘Wild Wild Punjab’, a film depicting the hilarious and heartwarming adventures of a group of friends. ‘Vijay 69’ is another quirky, slice-of-life film about a man who decides to compete in a triathlon at the age of 69. With Anupam Kher in the titular role, this comedy is produced by Maneesh Sharma and directed by Akshay Roy for YRF Entertainment,” she says.

Comedy is being lapped up in India and abroad, and it seems the streaming platforms will have the last laugh too.

Watch Live TV in English

Watch Live TV in Hindi