Atul Khatri is an Indian stand-up comedian and businessman based in Mumbai. He is best known as one of the founding members of the comedy collective East India Comedy (EIC), and is recognised within the Indian English-language stand-up circuit for performing while continuing to serve as a corporate executive.
Key facts
| Name | Atul Khatri |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Stand-up comedian, CEO |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Based in | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Known for | Stand-up comedy; co-founder, East India Comedy |
| Language of performance | English (with Hindi) |
Background
Khatri belongs to a Sindhi family and worked in the corporate sector for several years before taking up comedy. He began performing stand-up at open-mic nights in Mumbai relatively later in life compared to many of his peers, a fact that he has frequently used as material in his sets, where he positions himself as among the older comedians on the Indian English-language circuit.
Career
Khatri became part of East India Comedy, a Mumbai-based stand-up collective that included comedians such as Sapan Verma, Sorabh Pant, Kunal Rao, Azeem Banatwalla and Angad Singh Ranyal. Through EIC, he performed in live tours across India and abroad, and appeared in the group's online sketches, panel shows and topical comedy videos on YouTube, including formats such as EIC Outrage.
His solo material draws heavily on observational comedy about middle-aged Indian life, marriage, parenting, Sindhi identity, and the contrast between his corporate background and the younger comedy scene. He has performed at comedy festivals and corporate events in India and in markets with a sizeable Indian diaspora, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore.
Alongside his comedy work, Khatri has continued in a corporate role as the chief executive officer of a family-run business, and is one of the better-known examples in India of a working executive who performs stand-up professionally.
Significance
Khatri is associated with the wave of English-language stand-up comedy that emerged in urban India during the 2010s, when groups such as East India Comedy, All India Bakchod and The Viral Fever popularised the format through live shows and online video. His presence in this scene, alongside performers a generation younger, helped broaden the demographic appeal of Indian stand-up to older middle-class audiences.
Related topics
- East India Comedy
- Stand-up comedy in India
- Sorabh Pant
- Sapan Verma
- Azeem Banatwalla
- Indian English comedy
References
- Wikidata: Q24851990