Akshay Srivastava

Akshay Srivastava is an Indian stand-up comedian, part of the Nerds of Comedy platform, who moved into comedy after a career in banking. His style blends sharp observations with relatable anecdotes about relationships, societal conventions and everyday and corporate life. He is known for genre-blending long-form sets that mix stand-up with poetry recitation, exemplified by his special "Ek Tarfa Pyaar", released on YouTube on September 1, 2023. The special tells a story of unrequited love while touching on class discrimination, the excesses of the "Big Fat Indian Wedding" and the search for genuine connection, structured around short poetic interludes rather than a conventional joke-by-joke format. It was one of the Indian comedy specials singled out in year-end coverage of 2023's stand-up releases for its unconventional structure. He has continued to release stand-up specials and shorter sets on his YouTube channel, building a body of work that leans on narrative and emotional storytelling more heavily than typical observational stand-up.