When comedian Samay Raina announced a Still Alive and Unfiltered tour stop in Hyderabad this August, the response was instant. Shows started filling up within hours.
This flips the old narrative. For years, Hyderabad’s art scene was seen as promising but conservative. Now, the mood seems to have changed, not despite the city’s definitive leanings, but maybe because of the way they coexist with a newer, younger, bolder crowd.
Laugh, and the world laughs with you
Despite this, the appetite for comedy is only growing. “Hyderabad is undoubtedly one of the best cities to perform in,” says Swain. The mix of the old-school Hyderabad crowd that’s grown up here and the younger working population that’s moved in from the North, East, and West makes it a multilingual, multi-genre-friendly space where both English and Hindi comic artistes can thrive.
Musician Ranjani Sivakumar feels the openness too. “The people here are game to try new things, be it food, music or culture. With IT hubs mushrooming, the city has become a melting pot that holds on to its indigenous tastes while staying curious about what’s new.”
Simultaneously, she notes, bolder voices like Sumukhi Suresh and Rajashekar Mamidanna are embraced. “There’s a cult following for The Angrez, and people still adore Brahmanandam garu’s timing. There’s room for wit here, especially when it comes with a local flavour.”
We’re lazy, not lax
There’s a certain ease in our cultural DNA,” says comedian Sravanti Basa. “We’re lazy by nature; but that doesn’t mean we’ll settle for lazy jokes.”
She’s not the only one who thinks so. Comic artiste and MC Avinash Agarwal points to a uniquely Hyderabadi duality — an old-school politeness mixed with youthful energy. “There’s a sensitivity and respect for elders and culture that still exists here, but it’s balanced by a younger generation that’s more vocal, more expressive,” he says. “When people of all ages and backgrounds come together in a comedy room, that shared laughter creates a kind of oneness. That’s something we love about this city.” Comedian Rohit Swain agrees. “There’s a purity to it. And we local comic artistes owe the city a lot. Hyderabad took a chance on us when we weren’t even known.”
Unseen pressure
But that’s not to say the scene is free of friction. Siddharth Bhargav, founder of IMP (Independent Music Platform), tells us, “The issue isn’t that people don’t care about the arts; it’s that the space for expression is getting tighter. It’s less about audience interest and more about whether a performance will be ‘allowed’ without backlash.”
He recollects a recent show with a crowd of barely a hundred and some mild political jokes. The artiste was met with over a thousand threats online. “Moral policing kicks in faster here,” Siddharth notes, especially when topics like religion, caste or sexuality are mentioned even subtly. “Venue managers get nervous. No one wants trouble: no FIRs, no threats, no viral outrage. And unlike Mumbai or Bangalore, there’s no safety net here. You’re just on your own.”
And yet, the people inside the rooms aren’t demanding censorship. “They just want to laugh, unwind, and forget about life for an hour,” he says. “The pressure isn’t coming from inside the room; it’s from outside, from people who were never even planning to show up.”
