Abhay Sharma is a well-known Indian stand-up comedian, YouTuber, politician and lyricist, who is visually impaired. He came into the limelight after participating as a contestant in the popular reality TV shows titled The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (2017) and the Indian Laughter Champion (2022).
Wiki/Biography
Abhay Kumar Sharma was born on Saturday, 5 July 1997 (age 25 years; as of 2022) in Village Gordiha, Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, India. His zodiac sign is Cancer. In 2013, he completed his schooling at Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar Andh Vidyalaya, Varanasi. In 2016, he earned his Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) Political Science degree from Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
Family
Parents & Siblings
Not much information is available about his parents and siblings.
Wife & Children
Abhay Kumar Sharma is unmarried.
Religion
Abhay Kumar Sharma follows Hinduism.
Career
After completing his formal education in 2016, Abhay Sharma worked as an under-training RJ with a radio station named Radio 90.8 FM – Aap Ki Aawaz. In 2017, after completing his internship with the radio station, Abhay Sharma joined a Non-government Organisation (NGO) named Utsav Trust. In 2017, Abhay Sharma was invited to participate in a live stand-up comedy show named Divyango Ki Shyam, Swachchta Ke Nam. The show was organised by the Madhya Pradesh government in Jabalpur.
Jabalpur authorities honouring Abhay Sharma for participating in the live stand-up comedy show
In 2017, Abhay Sharma got his first major break when he was selected to participate as a contestant in a reality comedy TV show titled The Great Indian Laughter Challenge which was aired on Star Plus. In the show, Abhay became one of the seven participants who entered the show’s grand finale.
Abhay Sharma during his performance in the reality comedy TV show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge
In 2019, impressed with Abhay Sharma’s mimicry skills, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met him. PM Modi appreciated Abhay’s performance in his comedy skit titled Mann Ki Bat which was based on the Prime Minister’s radio program titled Mann Ki Bat.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting Abhay Sharma
In the same year, Abhay Sharma was appointed by the Election Commission of India as the brand ambassador for spreading voting awareness in Sonbhadra district during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Abhay Sharma with the Election Commission of India during his appointment as the brand ambassador
In 2021, Abhay Sharma was appointed as the President of Utsav Trust, an NGO that he joined in 2017. Abhay Sharma, in 2021, was invited to present an opening speech at the Banaras Film Festival.
Abhay Sharma during his speech at the Banaras Film Festival
In 2021, Abhay Sharma, along with his followers, went on an indefinite hunger strike to protest against the decision of Varanasi’s local administration to cancel the admissions from class 9th to class 12th of the visually impaired children at Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar Andh Vidyalaya.
A poster informing about the protests that were held in Varanasi
Later in the same year, Abhay Sharma was invited as a chief guest to the inauguration ceremony of the BS Film Academy.
Abhay Sharma during the inaugural ceremony of BS Film Academy
Abhay Sharma is also a YouTuber. As of June 2022, he has more than 32.3k subscribers on his YouTube channel. In 2021, Abhay Sharma posted a comedy skit, Janta Ka Vaccine Tender on his YouTube channel. The video became one of his most viewed and famous YouTube skits.
Abhay Sharma in his stand-up comedy skit, Janta Ka Vaccine Tender
Abhay Sharma frequently collaborates with Shyam Rangeela, another famous stand-up comedian. On 22 January 2022, Abhay and Shyam released a comedy skit titled UP Ka Vikas Dekha? In 2022, they published another comedy video, Jab Mile Yogi, Modi Aur Akhilesh, on their YouTube channel.
Abhay Sharma and Shyam Rangeela in their comedy skit, Jab Mile Yogi, Modi Aur Akhilesh
In the same year, Abhay Sharma published another satirical comedy video titled IPL Aur Corona-Logy. The video was based on Corona Virus and IPL.
YouTube thumbnail of his comedy video IPL Aur Corona-Logy
Abhay Sharma, as a lyricist, is well-known for making songs based on the prevailing socio-political situation of Indian society. On 18 February 2022, he penned a song titled Jayegi Jumlebaz Sarkar. In 2022, Abhay Sharma got his second major break when he was selected as a contestant in the reality comedy TV show titled India’s Laughter Champion. The show was aired on Sony TV. When Abhay was asked about his second-time appearance on a comedy reality TV show, he said,
I think making people laugh is the greatest gift anyone can get and I am just grateful that god blessed me with this talent. I thank Sony TV and India’s Laughter Champion for this golden opportunity. The competition is tough, there are many good comedians in the race but I will try my best to be the best among them.”
Abhay Sharma during his performance in India’s Laughter Champion
In January 2022, Abhay Sharma auditioned for the talent hunt reality TV show named India’s Got Talent.
Abhay Sharma while auditioning in India’s Got Talent
Facts/Trivia
- Abhay Sharma claims that while growing up in his native village, he had to face a lot of hardships and prejudices due to his blindness. He further said that when he was sent to Varanasi for schooling, the residents of his village thought that his parents had abandoned him. During an interview, Abhay said,
I was born a blind kid. People often made fun of me and even mocked me for my disability. When my parents got me admitted to the Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar Andh Vidyalaya at Varanasi, people believed that my parents had given me away to an orphanage and whenever I came back home on holidays. they would often taunt me for coming back to beg for a few scraps of food. It took a lot of time for me to prove myself, that now people believe that Yes! He too can read and write.”
- The comedy skits in which Abhay Sharma mimicked famous personalities such as Rajnath Singh, Narendra Modi and Lalu Prasad Yadav have become widely popular. His comedy skits have also been shared by renowned politicians such as Akhilesh Yadav and Dimple Yadav, on their official social media accounts.
- Abhay Sharma wants the Parliament to have certain seats reserved for the differently-abled candidates, who can represent the paraplegic community at a national level. He even wrote a letter, once, requesting the Prime Minister to reserve a few seats in the parliament for the differently-abled candidates. While giving an interview, Abhay said,
I want to work for the over-all development of the specially abled people of India, but our representation in the parliament has been neglected since ever. I had even asked our PM Narendra Modi to present a bill in the parliament for reserving some seats for the handicapped citizens, so that we can have equal representation at the administrative level and contribute towards policy making as well.”
- While giving an interview to a local news agency, Abhay Sharma once claimed that he is a UPSC aspirant and wants to serve the country by becoming an IAS officer.
- Abhay Sharma believes that had it not been for the COVID-19 Pandemic, he would have established himself as a popular comedian in India by now. He wants to achieve the desired popularity through his hard work and not by gaining sympathy for his blindness. While giving an interview to a media outlet, Abhay Sharma told,
After my reality show, I had started getting lots of shows. However, then a pandemic happened and everything came to a standstill. Now, that I have again got an opportunity with India’s Laughter Champion I would not let this opportunity go. I want to make my own standing in the comedy scene on the basis of my talent and not on anyone’s sympathy.”
- Abhay Sharma once said that he wanted to take cricket as a professional sport, and he also wanted to be a sports commentator but he could not pursue his dreams because of his blindness. During an interview, he said,
Well.. Had I not been born as a blind child, I would have certainly loved to take up cricket as a professional sport. I even want to become a commentator. But my condition does not allow me to do either. Even though I cannot see the players, but I know who is who and does what.”
- In 2020, Abhay Sharma joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Abhay Sharma during his joining of the Aam Aadmi Party
- In 2021, Abhay Sharma supported the farmers’ protest against the government’s 3 farm laws. He even visited the farmers protesting on the outskirts of New Delhi. There, while giving a speech in favour of the farmers, Abhay Sharma met Rakesh Tikait who is the leader of the farmer’s movement.
Rakesh Tikait, the leader of the farmer’s movement with Abhay Sharma
