Varun Grover Live 2027 in Dubai

Varun Grover Live brings the comedian, lyricist, screenwriter and director to Dubai on Saturday 9 January 2027 with his new solo stand-up show, Love, Death & Ketchup, at the Emirates Theatre in Jumeirah. Presented by Sublime Entertainment in association with Flipsyde, the set is performed mostly in Hindi with some English, and around half of it is brand-new material.

Who is Varun Grover?

Few people on the Indian comedy circuit have a CV quite like Varun Grover’s. Born in 1980 in Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, he studied civil engineering at IIT (BHU) Varanasi, graduating in 2003, and briefly worked as a software consultant in Pune before moving to Mumbai in 2004 to write. A year later he was scripting The Great Indian Comedy Show for television.

From there his career branched out in several directions at once:

• Lyricist: he wrote songs for Gangs of Wasseypur, Masaan, Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Udta Punjab, the Hindi version of RRR and Jigra. Moh Moh Ke Dhaage from Dum Laga Ke Haisha won him the National Film Award for Best Lyrics.
• Screenwriter: he was a writer and executive producer on Sacred Games, the Netflix series that ran from 2018 to 2019.
• Director: his first feature, All India Rank, closed the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2023 before its release in 2024.
• Comedian: he co-created the political satire group Aisi Taisi Democracy, and released the stand-up special Nothing Makes Sense in 2025.

All India Rank shows how closely his work tracks real life. The film follows Vivek, a 17-year-old sent by his father to a residential coaching school in Kota to prepare for the IIT entrance exams, and the two years of adolescence he drifts through there, while his parents go through changes of their own. Critics called it sweet, sincere and personal, and for an IIT graduate turned writer, the subject was close to home.

His lyrics are similarly grounded. The songs he wrote for Masaan and Dum Laga Ke Haisha are small-town love stories told in plain, poetic Hindi, which is a big part of why Moh Moh Ke Dhaage still turns up on playlists a decade on.

That range is what sets him apart. His stand-up is written with the same attention to words that went into his lyrics and screenplays, and it tends to reward people who listen closely.

Love, Death & Ketchup

Love, Death & Ketchup is Grover’s new solo show, and the organisers say around 50 per cent of it is new material. So even if you have watched Nothing Makes Sense or seen him live before, much of the set will be fresh. Expect the wit and satire he is known for: observational comedy that starts with something ordinary and takes it somewhere sharper, the kind of joke that makes you laugh first and think about it on the way home.

The title hints at the mix of big themes and everyday absurdity that runs through his comedy, though the full content has not been described in detail. What is clear is the tone: clever, wordy stand-up rather than shock humour.

Language

The show is mostly in Hindi, with some parts in English. Comfortable Hindi will help you catch the wordplay, which is central to how Grover writes.

The venue: Emirates Theatre

The Emirates Theatre is the auditorium of Emirates International School on Al Thanya Street in Jumeirah, and it is a regular stop for Indian stand-up in Dubai. For this show, seating is split into VVIP, VIP, Gold and Silver, and seats within each category are first-come, first-served, so earlier arrival means more choice.

• Times: gates open at 5:30pm and the show starts at 6pm, with the evening expected to wrap up by around 8pm.
• Age: 14 and over only.
• Access: there is no lift. Silver seats are on the first floor, and the ground-floor categories are reached by a few stairs.
• Food and drink: no outside food or drink, not even water. Snacks and drinks are sold in the foyer.
• Smoking: smoking and vaping are not allowed anywhere on the premises.

Paid RTA parking outside the school is limited, so the organisers advise arriving early if you drive. By car, follow Al Safa Street and turn onto Al Thanya Street, or take a taxi to the school entrance.

Who it suits

This show is a natural pick for Hindi-speaking comedy fans who prefer brains to shock value, admirers of Grover’s film songs and screenwriting, and anyone who has followed Aisi Taisi Democracy. With a 14+ age limit, it also works for families with teenagers who share the language. The 6pm start leaves the rest of the Saturday evening for dinner in Jumeirah afterwards.

Find more laughs in our comedy shows in Dubai guide, or browse things to do in Dubai, things to do in January and things to do this weekend.