I’m Urooj Ashfaq and I’m a standup comedian. The best way to describe my relationship to the internet is: taxing. I have to exist on the internet and I like to use it for fun – but mostly I spend so much unproductive time on it that I end up despising it. However, there are moments of joy when I find funny videos that pull me out my trance of scrolling. Here are some of the best below (I’m sure I’ve forgotten many gems).
1. Anirban Dasgupta at Melbourne comedy festival
This is a hilarious video of one of my favourite Indian comedians at the opening gala at Melbourne international comedy festival in 2023.
2. Gino D’Acampo is insulted by comments about his pasta
This is just so spontaneous and funny. The laughter is infectious.
3. Naughty Nandi
I realise this video is completely in Hindi, but Indians are everywhere and rest assured they are reading this article. This one is a personal favourite: a naughty child being irreverent when a guest comes to visit.
4. A scared man goes paragliding
Again, I realise the content of this video is in Hindi but fear is a universal language. A man goes paragliding and realises too late that he is terrified. This is six minutes and 19 seconds of pure regret.
5. The top 10 numbers of all time
The ultimate parody of top 10 lists! It makes you think, why didn’t I think of this joke? (Shoutout to my friend and fellow comedian Shaad Shafi for bringing this video into my life.)
6. Pretentious Movie Reviews
An iconic series of movie reviews by Indian comedy legends Biswa Kalyan Rath and Kanan Gill. This series never fails to make me laugh.
7. This very famous Vine
“There’s only one thing worse than a rapist …”: you have to watch the video to find out what it is.
8. Funny cats
The internet would be NOTHING without cat videos and while it is not possible to explain in one link what cat videos mean to me (they are my one reliable source of joy), I have nonetheless added one short video of cats as a homage.
9. This scene in the movie Govinda
Govinda is a private detective who is trying to gather evidence of an extramarital affair – so he hides in the TV and pretends to be on different channels while he gathers evidence. Comedic gold.
10. I’m On a Boat by the Lonely Island
This is an oldie, but a goodie. I discovered this song 14 years ago and it never fails to make me laugh. It reminds me of a simpler time when videos on the internet only cheered me up.
Urooj Ashfaq is touring Europe in June. See here for all dates
