Background & Objectives: Literature on the comparative evaluation of the intubating dose of cisatracurium and atracurium is sparse in India. We evaluated neuromuscular blockade, recovery characteristics, and safety profile between the two non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking drugs; cisatracurium besylate and atracurium besylate at equipotent doses (3xED95) in adult patients undergoing abdominal laparoscopic surgical procedures. Methods: Fifty surgical patients under general anaesthesia were randomised into two groups. Anaesthesia was induced with 2 mg/kg propofol and 2 μg/kg fentanyl in all the patients. Neuromuscular blockade was achieved using an equipotent dose of either cisatracurium 0.15 mg/kg (Group A) or atracurium 0.6 mg/kg (Group B). Onset time, duration of action, and recovery profile after administration of cholinesterase inhibitor were noted using neuromuscular monitoring using Train Of Four (TOF). Intubating conditions, haemodynamic changes, and safety characteristics were also evaluated. Results: The mean onset time and duration of action for cisatracurium were 4.44 ±0.45 minutes, 50.09 ±5.3 minutes while, for atracurium, the values were 3.14 ±0.23 minutes, 41.03 ±1.69 minutes respectively (p <0.001). Intubating conditions, haemodynamic changes, and safety profile were comparable between the groups. Recovery time following administration of cholinesterase inhibitors in the cisatracurium and atracurium group were 2.84 ±0.23 and 3.68 ±0.21 minutes respectively (p <0.001). Conclusion: Equipotent dose of atracurium had faster onset than cisatracurium. But, the duration of action was longer in cisatracurium as compared to atracurium. The recovery profile of cisatracurium was faster and better than atracurium. Both the drugs have comparable haemodynamic parameters, intubating conditions, and safety profile.