He is popular for his salacious remarks, politically incorrect jokes and his observational comedy about communities and cultures around the world. And he’s got the guts to stand against an industry that is considered of paramount importance in India — Bollywood! Canadian stand-up comedian Russell Peters is soon going to perform for the Indian audience.
Peters kickstarted his career in acting with the popular show Show Me The Funny in 1997 and has since then starred in films like Akshay Kumar’s Indo-Canadian venture Breakaway, Lord Have Mercy and Comedy Now among others. We check with stand-up comedians, fans and organisers about the hype and the expectations from the ace comedian, especially when English stand-up comedy has struck big over the last few years.
Scriptwriter and one of the youngest comedians, Tanmay Bhatt is confident that Peters will surely have the audience in splits. He says, “Russell is a legend now. We are so much in love with him as a person that we don’t really need anything else. His mere presence is paisa vasool. Peters is popular for his in-your-face mockery of racial stereotypes and his cracks on the cultural divide between different ethnicities are superb. And what if he revolves his jokes around Bollywood and Indians — why do we have to be so touchy all the time? We need outsiders to tell us about the pathetic state of our own nation and not many youngsters are in awe of Bollywood these days!”
He further shares, “Peters is original in whatever he does. In one of the episodes of our widely heard comedy podcast show All India Bakchod, Russell Peters burps on the show, talks about what it felt like growing up in Brampton and which Bollywood actress inspires ‘mind-blasting’ jokes and how fans are reacting to his new show — The Notorious Tour. The comedian also tells us about the first time he got laid because of stand-up and several such interesting revelations. We are hoping that the comedian will present something deeper and more impactful this time when he performs live.”
Stand-up comedian Rohan Joshi, who likes to be quoted as ‘Grammar Nazi, astronaut, and slight-stretcher-of-truth’ says, “A lot of us got into the stand-up comedy because for the first time we saw somebody doing great on global scale. So, I am eager to attend his show and see how people respond to his new set of jokes and if he manages to actually entertain the desi audience.”
The comedian is going to be on a four-city tour and will be performing at Delhi/NCR, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai. He is a part of Micromax Russell Peters Notorious World Tour. Vijay Nair, CEO, Only Much Louder, one of the organisers of the tour says, “Russell Peters has a strong Indian fan base, so we’re really excited to bring him down to India. The culture of stand-up comedy is really picking up, as we have seen a number of young artists coming up in this field and the participation of the audience to such acts has also increased.”
Fans are equally excited about the comedian’s tour in the city. “I remember watching several episodes of Russell Peters at home over YouTube and giggling like a maniac. Now it will be so much fun watching him live with a crowd that enjoys and understands his comic antics. Although, at times he tends to undermine Bollywood and our country but I take it sportingly and guess others should also do the same,” concludes Vivek Malhotra, self-proclaimed fan of Peters.

The comedian will kick off the tour at HUDA Grounds, Delhi/NCR on October 2 followed by Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru