By Priyanka Pasupuleti
From Indore to Jubilee Hills: The Punchlines and Perspectives of Stand-Up Comic Irfan Ali
With a mischievous grin and a mic in hand, Irfan Ali is quickly becoming a name you don’t forget especially if you’ve ever laughed until your stomach hurt at a dimly lit café in Jubilee Hills or during an all-too-relatable corporate gig. Born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, and now performing across Hyderabad’s buzzing comedy scene, Irfan has already delivered over 40 plus shows and counting.
“I grew up in a boarding school from the age of 13,” he shares. “Insult comedy wasn’t just a joke it was survival.” That early sharpening of wit now defines his sharp, observant style, where he walks the fine line between personal anecdotes and public laughs.
Ask him if he’s ever been funnier by accident, and he’ll tell you it’s all intentional. His tools? A quick mind and a trusty sidekick: “My laptop,” he laughs. “Always easy to refer to notes.”
But not every joke makes it to the stage. One of his guilty pleasures is hilariously regional: “When I’m in Indore, I say ‘aaiye’. With my Telugu friends, it’s ‘Randi’ and I just can’t stop laughing at the switch!” Some jokes stay off-stage, but the laughter? It’s constant. “If laughter was currency,” he quips, “I’d be beating Jeff Bezos hands down.”
Irfan is candid about the balancing act between audience expectations and family perceptions. “I make fun of my insecurities to connect with people on stage. That lands with strangers not so much with family!”
He’s also had his share of borderline moments: “Once, during crowd work with a group of women, it got awkward but hilarious. I genuinely thought I’d be kicked out of the club that night.”
Still, when nothing’s working, Irfan knows his failsafe: corporate jokes. “Hyderabad and Bangalore crowds just get it.”
So who would he roast without consequences? “Kapil Sharma!” he says instantly. “No doubt!”
And if his journey had a theme song? “Believer,” he says. “Comedy might look ‘cool’ from the outside, but it’s pure hustle underneath. You’ve got to believe in yourself.”
From spontaneous zingers to self-aware satire, Irfan Ali is more than just a comic he’s a storyteller, a survivor of boarding school banter, and a believer in the art of laughter. And with each performance in Hyderabad’s comedy cafés or on the corporate stage, he’s not just cracking jokes he’s building a legacy, one laugh at a time.
