Negotiating Disability Stereotypes and Ableism in Indian Humor: A Critical Study of Stand-up Comedy and Meme Culture

Humor occupies a complex role in cultural life, operating both as a tool for social subversion and a mechanism for reinforcing dominant ideologies. In the Indian context, popular forms of humor such as stand-up comedy and memes have increasingly shaped public discourse on marginalized identities, including disabled individuals. This paper critically explores how disability is negotiated within these contemporary humor platforms, situating the analysis against a historical backdrop of ableist representations in Indian mythology, cinema and television. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from disability studies and humor theory, the paper argues that humor involving disability in India largely remains trapped within normative constructions of the "abnormal" body and mind, reinforcing existing hierarchies rather than challenging them. Through close examinations of stand-up routines by mainstream comedians like Abhishek Upmanyu and Zakir Khan and the viral circulation of ableist memes across digital platforms, the paper illustrates how disability is often reduced to a spectacle for laughter. However, the paper also identifies emerging counter-narratives - in the performances of comedians like Sumaira Shaikh and activist-driven meme platforms - that attempt to reframe humor as a tool for resisting ableism rather than perpetuating it. By highlighting both the dangers and possibilities of disability humor, the study advocates for a more ethically conscious cultural practice, wherein humor becomes a site of solidarity, critical reflection and the dismantling of ableist assumptions. Ultimately, the paper contends that reimagining humor beyond ableism is not simply a matter of modifying individual jokes but requires a fundamental reorientation of who controls narratives, who laughs and what laughter means in a society striving for true inclusivity.