5 Times Stand-up Comedians Turned Filmmakers

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Jordan Peele

Best known for his hilarious sketches with close friend Keegan Michael Key, comedian Jordan Peele has successfully made the transition to filmmaker with his critically-acclaimed films that utilise the horror genre to explore socio-political themes. His most famous works are Get Out, Us and Nope.

Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham’s comedy specials are characterised by his irreverent sense of humour blended with thought-provoking statements on art, society and the human condition. In 2018, he directed Eighth Grade, his first feature-length film about a young girl who struggles with her mental health.

Sunil Pal

After winning the reality show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005, Sunil Pal landed a number of comedy roles in Bollywood films including Phir Hera Pheri, Apna Sapna Money Money and Bombay To Goa. He went on to direct films like Bhavnao Ko Samjho, Money Back Guarantee and Wig Boss.

AIB

From a humble YouTube channel to a successful production company, comedians Tanmay Bhat, Gursimran Khamba, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya gained popularity with their satirical sketches in the early 2010s. The four of them produced the 2019 film Chintu Ka Birthday.

Kanan Gill

Kanan Gill rose to stardom with his YouTube series ‘Pretentious Movie Reviews’ alongside Biswa Kalyan Rath. He has performed over a thousand shows, both in India and internationally, and recently made his debut as a screenwriter with the Kannada film Aachar&Co.

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