New Delhi, Aug. 8 -- The Indian comedy industry has grown tenfold since 2018, with top comedians earning up to Rs.25 crore annually from ticket sales, corporate gigs, and brand endorsements. This growth has created more jobs for editors, producers, managers, scriptwriters, and cameramen, all now earning competitive pay instead of working on barter.

Comedy show producers now make between Rs.50 lakh and Rs.3 crore a year, and managers-who typically take 10% of a comedian's earnings-see their incomes rise as the comic's popularity does. Young professionals are increasingly attracted to these behind-the-scenes roles.

Take Sohail Abbas, a 21-year-old cinematographer, who has filmed shows for major comics like Ravi Gupta, Harsh Gujaral, and A...