Stoutsanitaryware at 20:22, 6 May 2026

2026-05-06T20:22:11Z

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{{short description|Indian stand-up comedian (born 1987)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Aditi Mittal
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|11|12}}
| birth_place =
| occupation = Stand-up Comedian
| years_active = 2009–present
}}
'''Aditi Mittal''' (12 November 1987)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aditi Mittal {{!}} Actress, Writer, Producer |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5703682/ |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ9sxS2AlsB/?hl=en&img_index=1 |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=www.instagram.com}}</ref> is an Indian [[Stand-up comedy|stand-up comedian]], [[Actor|actress]] and [[writer]].<ref>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/brunch-stories/the-joke-s-on-you/article1-1125221.aspx "The Joke's on you"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310222122/http://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/brunch-stories/the-joke-s-on-you/article1-1125221.aspx |date=March 10, 2014 }}, ''[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]'', Mumbai, 29 September 2013.</ref><ref>[http://wonderwoman.intoday.in/story/little-miss-sunshine-aditi-mittal/1/100554.html "Little Miss Sunshine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822130623/http://wonderwoman.intoday.in/story/little-miss-sunshine-aditi-mittal/1/100554.html |date=2016-08-22 }}, ''[[India Today]]''</ref> One of the first women to do stand-up comedy in India, Mittal has been rated amongst India's top 10 [[Stand-up comedy|stand-up comedians]] by ''[[The Times of India]]''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130906124516/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-11/tv/30141653_1_stand-up-comedy-comedians-russell-peters "Comic Relief"], ''[[The Times of India]]'', Mumbai, 11 September 2011.</ref> [[CNN-News18|CNN-IBN]] named her as one of the top 30 "witty, intelligent and incredibly fun" Indian women to follow on [[Twitter]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130310035627/http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/12773.html "Women’s Day: 30 witty, intelligent and incredibly fun Indian women to follow on Twitter"], "[[CNN IBN]]"</ref> Mittal has written columns and articles in ''[[Grazia]]'' Men magazine, ''[[DNA (magazine)|DNA]]'', ''[[Firstpost]]'' and ''[[Financial Times]]'' (UK, Weekend Edition).<ref>[http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/column-carpe-the-hell-out-of-every-diem-1836929 "Carpe the Hell Out of every Diem"], ''[[Daily News and Analysis|DNA]]'', Mumbai, 20 May 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.firstpost.com/bollywood/the-curious-case-of-armaan-kohli-the-bigg-boss-7-contestant-1161727.html "The Curious Case of Armaan Kohli"], "[[Firstpost]]", 17 December 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/5c978d2e-2eb6-11e2-9b98-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2poTDnVgd "In all Fairness"], ''[[Financial Times]]'', UK, 16 November 2012.</ref><ref>[http://grazia.co.in/lifestyle2/can-women-be-funny "Can Women be Funny"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203045203/http://grazia.co.in/lifestyle2/can-women-be-funny |date=2014-02-03 }}, ''[[Grazia]]'', 19 January 2013.</ref>

== Career ==
Mittal has been described by ''[[Mid-Day]]'' as one of the better-known faces of the Indian English stand-up comedy scene in North and West India.<ref>[http://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/2012/jul/120712-Getting-candid-with-the-phunny-girl.htm "Getting candid with the phunny girl"], "[[Mid-Day]]", Mumbai, 12 July 2012.</ref> In 2009, she was one of the first 5 Indians to be featured in an Indians-only stand-up show called [[Local Heroes (UK TV series)|''Local Heroes'']], organized by the U.K based club [[The Comedy Store]].<ref>[http://www.zomato.com/por/events/mumbai/local-heroes-100015552 "Local Heroes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140126120129/http://www.zomato.com/por/events/mumbai/local-heroes-100015552|date=2014-01-26}}, "[[Zomato.com]]", Mumbai, 20 June.</ref> She has performed at Canvas Laugh Factory, Comedy Store Mumbai and several humor festivals across the country, clubs in UK and at [[Laugh Factory]], Los Angeles.<ref>[http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/tdQIqKqo76MyRXZRSaDHRI/Society--Funny-girls.html "What makes India’s Women comedian tick"], "[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]", Mumbai, 6 July 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.standupplanet.org/2013/05/28/from-the-directors-notebook-los-angeles-california/ "From the Directors notebook"], "[[Stand Up Planet]]", USA.</ref>

In 2013, Mittal was invited by the [[BBC]] for the prestigious 100 Women Conference in London.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24579511 "100 Women: Who took part"], "[[Bbc.com]]", London, 22 November 2013.</ref>

Along with American and South African comics, Mittal has been featured in the American documentary ''Stand-Up Planet'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stand-Up Planet |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417120903/https://www.kcet.org/shows/stand-up-planet/stand-up-planet-comedy-showcase-chapter-4}}</ref> which depicts a stand-up comic's quest to find some of the best humor from corners of the developing world.<ref>[http://www.standupplanet.org/comics/ "Comics"], "[[Stand Up Planet]]".</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/05/11/311410262/stand-up-planet-follows-jokes-to-serious-global-issues|title=Aditi Mittal in Stand Up Planet|last=|first=|date=11 May 2014|website=npr|access-date=3 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eventseeker.com/artist/61984-aditi-mittal|title=Aditi Mittal in Stand-up Planet|last=|first=|date=|website=Eventseeker|access-date=3 March 2020}}</ref> She also appeared on [[CNN-IBN]]'s Phenking News with [[Cyrus Broacha]], and is a staple on the political satire show Jay Hind.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110622180829/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1110619/jsp/graphiti/story_14129838.jsp "Telegraph"], "[[Just for laughs]]", Calcutta, 19 June 2011.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140202185519/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-27/coimbatore/34764377_1_standup-comedy-comedian-vir-das "A funny weekend treat for city residents"], "[[The Times of India]]", Coimbatore, 27 October 2012.</ref> She was one of the founding members of the Ghanta Awards and the Filmfail Awards, two of the biggest parody award shows in India.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140202193118/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/the-2nd-annual-ghanta-awards-list-of-winners/241045-8-66.html "The 2nd annual ghanta awards list of winners"], "[[IBNlive.in]]", 20 March 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/theatre/filmfail-awards "The Filmfail Awards"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204015102/http://www.timeoutmumbai.net/theatre/filmfail-awards |date=February 4, 2014 }}, ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'', Mumbai, 22 March 2012.</ref> She has featured in ''Ripping the Decade'' with [[Vir Das]], Fools Gold Awards on [[Comedy Central (India)|Comedy Central India]], and Bollywood OMG on [[Channel V India|Channel V]].<ref>[http://www.indiantelevision.com/release/y2k10/dec/decrel50.php "R.I.P.ping the Decade"], "[[Indiantelevision.com]]", 27 December 2010.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140202185523/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-31/tv/31255224_1_fools-channel-award "Now, an awards for fools!"], "[[The Times of India]], 31 March 2012.</ref><ref>[http://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/2012/may/060512-No-laughing-matter.htm "No laughing matter"], "[[Mid-Day]]", Mumbai, 6 May 2012.</ref>

Mittal has spoken at India's 1st Sex Exposition by ''[[India Today]]'', WIFT India ([[Women in Film and Television International|Women in Film and Television]]), and at the [[Indian School of Business]], Hyderabad.

In the end of 2013 and in October 2014, she was included in the [[100 Women (BBC)|BBC's 100 Women]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-10-20 |title=100 Women: Who took part? |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-24579511 |access-date=2022-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-29758792|title=Who are the 100 Women 2014?|date=2014-10-26|work=BBC News|access-date=2018-01-05|language=en-GB}}</ref> In December 2014, Mittal featured as a part of the panel on the ''[[AIB Knockout]]''. In February, she appeared as a guest on [[BBC Radio 4]]'s ''[[The Now Show]]''.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0512ln6 |title = BBC Radio 4 - the Now Show, Series 45, Episode 5}}</ref>

Mittal's [[YouTube]] series ''Bad Girls'' showcases women activists. The first episode, released in February 2017, focused on [[Nidhi Goyal]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/neon/social-buzz/nidhi-goyal-aditi-mittal-comedy-visually-impaired-woman-disability-and-sexuality-comedian-bad-girls-youtube|title=Visually-Impaired Comedian Nidhi Goyal Slays It On 'Bad Girls'|last=Sharma|first=Deeksha|work=[[The Quint]]|date=17 February 2017|accessdate=27 August 2018}}</ref> In the same year, she performed her solo show "Things They Wouldn't Let Me Say" in July 2017 at the Canvas Laugh Factory, Mumbai. The show, which premiered as a [[Netflix]] special, features an appearance by her character, "Dr. Mrs. Lutchuke", who is a [[Sex therapy|sex therapist]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Ghosh |first=Devarsi |date=2017-07-20 |title=Aditi Mittal talks about the things they wouldn’t let her say, and then some |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/844417/aditi-mittal-talks-about-the-things-they-wouldnt-let-her-say-and-then-some |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[Scroll.in]] |language=en}}</ref>

In 2018, she was accused of sexual harassment by comedian [[Kaneez Surka]] who stated that Mittal had forcefully kissed her on the mouth. Mittal denied the accusation, leading to Surka publicly posting what had happened on Twitter.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/tv/kaneez-surka-accuses-comedian-aditi-mittal-of-sexual-harassment/story-5PCSKJR9ONZ1tRzkfBx0jI.html |title=Kaneez Surka accuses comedian Aditi Mittal of sexual harassment |date=10 October 2018}}</ref> In October 2018, Mittal said that "she gave the improv artiste, who was hosting an open mic, a peck on the lips as a joke, as a part of the act" and apologised later to Surka when she realised "the discomfort she had caused".<ref>{{Cite news|date=2018-10-11|title=#MeToo: Comedian Aditi Mittal apologises to Kaneez Surka, says her intentions were not 'sexual in nature'|work=The Economic Times|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/metoo-comedian-aditi-mittal-apologises-to-kaneez-surka-says-her-intentions-were-not-sexual-in-nature/articleshow/66159684.cms?from=mdr|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref>

Mittal appeared in [[James May]]'s ''[[James May: Our Man in...#Series 3: Our Man in India (2024)|Our Man in India]]'' in 2024.

== Views ==
Mittal believes that humor is the best fix for gravitas. A fan of [[Tina Fey]] and [[Kristen Wiig]], she stepped into the stand-up comedy scene after quitting her job in New York and moving to India. Allured by the burgeoning interest in it, she trained herself, subsequently moving on to live performances.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-26 |title=Stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal, biography and career |url=https://tfiglobalnews.com/2022/09/26/stand-up-comedian-aditi-mittal-biography-and-career/ |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=TFIGlobal |language=en-US}}</ref> Mittal was featured on BBC World and BBC America among "India's trailblazers", and appeared on BBC Asia with RJ Nihal.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Female and funny: Indian comedienne |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asia-india-22712469 |access-date=2026-04-07 |work=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BBC Asian Network - Nihal, Female stand-up comedian Aditi Mittal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02x9r27 |access-date=2026-04-07 |website=[[BBC]] |language=en-GB}}</ref> Her material has been described as "acerbic and cutting edge".<ref>[http://wonderwoman.intoday.in/story/little-miss-sunshine-aditi-mittal/1/100554.html "Little Miss Sunshine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822130623/http://wonderwoman.intoday.in/story/little-miss-sunshine-aditi-mittal/1/100554.html |date=2016-08-22 }}, "[[India Today]]".</ref><ref>[http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/tdQIqKqo76MyRXZRSaDHRI/Society--Funny-girls.html "What makes India’s Women comedian tick"], "[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]", Mumbai, 6 July 2013.</ref><ref>[http://www.actfaqs.com/TOI-rates-ADITI-MITTAL-for-Laughs "TOI rates Aditi Mittal for Laughs"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202144911/http://www.actfaqs.com/TOI-rates-ADITI-MITTAL-for-Laughs|date=February 2, 2014}}, "[[Actfaqs.com]]", 10 June 2013.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130906072954/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130903/jsp/t2/story_17302995.jsp#.Us6YLBZ6vCE "Want a laugh? Just let her loose!"], "[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|Telegraph]]", Calcutta, 3 September 20.</ref><ref>[https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20110718-laugh-out-loud-746777-2011-07-06 "Laugh Out Loud"], "[[India Today]]", 7 July 2011.</ref> She has said, "My brand of humor is personal. It's observational."<ref>[https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/supplement/story/20110718-laugh-out-loud-746777-2011-07-06 "Laugh Out Loud"], "[[India Today]]", 7 July 2011.</ref> She developed the character of Dr. (Mrs.) Lutchuke because she "did not like the way sex was portrayed by the media".<ref>[http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/art-culture/get-up-stand-up "Get Up Stand Up"], "[[Open (Indian magazine)|Open Magazine]]", 28 May 2011.</ref>

== Television==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:105%"
|+
|- bgcolor="#AAAAACCCCDDDDD" align="center"
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" | References
|-
| 2024
| ''[[James May: Our Man in...#Series 3: Our Man in India (2024)|Our Man in India]]''
| Herself
| Travel Documentary
|}

===Digital Platform===
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:105%"
|+
|- bgcolor="#AAAAACCCCDDDDD" align="center"
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" | Platform
|-
|2017
|''Things They Wouldn't Let Me Say''
|Herself
|[[Netflix]]<ref name=":0" />
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2024
| ''Bad Girls''
| Herself
| [[YouTube]]
|-
| ''[[Bigg Boss OTT (Hindi Digital series) season 3|Bigg Boss OTT Season 3]]''
| Guest
| [[JioCinema]]
|}

== References ==

{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mittal, Aditi}}
[[Category:Indian stand-up comedians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian women comedians]]
[[Category:Indian humour columnists]]
[[Category:Indian women columnists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:Indian women humorists]]
[[Category:1987 births]]

Aditi Mittal - Revision history

Stoutsanitaryware at 20:22, 6 May 2026