The Rise Of The South Asian Comedienne

The world of stand-up comedy, and comedy in general, remains a male-dominated industry. Historically, women faced significant barriers in breaking into this industry, both due to conservative and sexist societal expectations of gender roles as well as limited opportunities available. Female comedians have more often than not been marginalized or been assigned limited supporting roles.

Women continue to shatter the glass ceiling and make their mark in all walks of life, and the comedy scene is no different. Online streaming platforms such as Netflix, Youtube, Amazon Prime et cetera have provided more opportunities and platforms for today’s comediennes to reach a wider range of audiences across the globe. And while certain challenges remain (pay gap, sexist attitudes et cetera), female comedians are finding increased and better opportunities to perform live at local comedy clubs and festivals, winning prestigious awards and honours for their exemplary work.

Today, women make up about 38% of the stand-up comedians in the United States. Some of the world’s most well-known comediennes have included Joan Rivers, Margaret Cho, Ellen Degeneres, Amy Schumer, Tiffany Hadish and more.

The struggle to make it in this niche industry is faced tenfold by ethnic minorities, compounded by fewer starring opportunities and audience’s racial biases and stereotypes. Comedians such as Aziz Ansari, Russell Peters and Hasan Minhaj have paved the way for other South Asians to foray into, experiment with, and eventually succeed and excel in the world of comedy, in particular stand-up comedy.

Today, we celebrate a few South Asian comediennes, whose incredible trailblazing works in the worlds of stand-up comedy are both ground-breaking and empowering for the global South Asian community. They have defied cultural expectations and racial and gender biases to triumph in putting across their unique, witty, hilarious and genuine voices, bringing a very fresh perspective to an industry historically saturated with native English-speaking men. This is South Asian female representation in stand-up comedy, and we are all here for it!

In alphabetical order…

APARNA NANCHERLA
United States

Named one of “The 50 Funniest People Right Now” by Rolling Stone, Aparna Nancherla is a jack of all trades, and known for her distinctive dry and whimsical sense of humour. She is a critically acclaimed comedian, writer, actor, and singer, with works featured via TV, podcast, films and books, and has toured internationally and all across the US with her stand-up comedy routines.

Nancherla’s extensive TV work includes: The Drop on Hulu and Lopez vs. Lopez on NBC, the critically acclaimed Comedy Central Show Corporate. Her voice acting roles include Moon on Fox’s The Great North and Hollyhock on Bojack Horseman. The second season on The Standups (Netflix) includes her half-hour comedy special, and she has had appearances on Late Night with Setphen Colbert (CBS) and Two Dope Queens (HBO), in addition to roles on comedy sitcoms and shows such as Modern Love, Bob’s Burgers, Master of None, Inside Amy Schumer and Crashing. She starred alongside singer Michael Buble in a Super Bowl commercial for sparkling water neé seltzer in 2019.

Nancherla is also an accomplished author and writer. Los Angeles Times called her debut book titled ‘Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself, and Imposter Syndrome’ “super-smart, deliciously readable, achingly poignant… new collection of essays.” Her forthcoming book, now available to pre-order is titled ‘Unreliable Narrator: Me, Myself and Impostor Syndrome’. She has also written for various TV shows such as Late Night with Seth Meyers, FX’s Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, and Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet.

Currently Nancherla hosts a self-help podcast series The Introvert’s Survival Guide, available on Audible via Fresh Produce Media. Notable guests have included Seth Meyers, Elyse Myers, and Eric Smith.

Other accolades include:
– Chosen as one of Variety’s “Top 10 Comics to Watch” in 2016
– Included in the 2017 list “The 50 Funniest People Right Now” by Rolling Stones, alongside notable comedians such as Ali Wong, Kate Mckinnon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Melissa McCarthy among others.
– Featured # 5 on the “The 25 Best Comedians of 2016” by Paste Magazine
Among universal critical acclaim for her stand-up comedy.

Website. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter.

KANEEZ SURKA
South Africa

A comedian, actor and producer, Kaneez Surka has produced and performed OTT specials such as Ladies Up and in Comedy Premium League (Netflix) and Something From Nothing and Improv All Stars – Games Night. improv specials on Amazon Prime Video. Her work in the short film The Shaika(s) was also well-received and selected for the Voot Select Film Festival. She also launched a first of its’ kind game show on Youtube – a comedy panel game show titled The General Fun Game Show on youtube, featuring well-known comedians.

Surka was born in South Africa to Gujarati parents, and lived there until she was 21, at which point she moved to Mumbai. Her experience living in such different, diverse cultures is what fuels her comedy.

Surka struggled to do stand-up comedy in South Africa itself, faced with identity crises issues. She enjoyed performing in India but found it too restrictive. She has finally found her comedy-home in New York.

“I feel liberated in New York. I can integrate my South African self and my Indian self equally. I’m brown, but I’m not desi American, so I don’t do the typical Indian tropes. My stories are more nuanced. That’s refreshing for the audience”. — Kaneez Surka

Additional works include Netflix’s Bhaag Beanie Bhaag, playing herself, and performances in over 20 sketches on India’s longest-running comedy satire show The Week That Wasn’t with Cyrus Broacha. Having established herself as a pioneer in the industry, Surka has also been a judge on Amazon Prime Video’s comedy reality show Comicstaan, as well as on TLC’s Queens of Comedy.

Surka also conducts improv workshops and classes across India, helping expand the improv industry in the country.

“A strong presence and a confident voice is all it takes for Kaneez Surka to keep her audience in splits. Not to mention her charming wit.” — The Indian Express

Website. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube

MONA SHAIKH
United States

Pakistani born-US based Mona Shaikh has the distinct honour of being the first woman of a South Asian / Middle Eastern descent to perform her comedy routine in front of over 60,000 people. She is also the first Pakistani female Comedian to be selected for the The Laugh Factory’s ‘Funniest Person in the World Competition’ and made history by becoming the first Pakistani female Comedian to headline Hollywood Improv.

Shaikh got bit by the performer bug at the age of 8, her favourite Bollywood actors piquing her interest. While she had her first open mic was at the Comix Comedy Club in NYC, she did not pursue stand up comedy again for another decade, owing to her conservative Pakistani Muslim background. Shaikh would later go on to break barriers not only by moving to New York and performing at local comedy clubs, but also by appearing in commercials and acting in independent and short films.

In 2015, Shaikh launched a comedy show titled Minority Reportz, which features a diverse comedian/actor line-up to major comedy clubs and has featured such comedians as Margaret Cho, Nikki Glaser, Tiffany Haddish, Trae Crowder, Raj Sharma, Finesse Mitchell, Iliza Schlesinger, Mike Yard, Dustin Ybarra and more. Since then, the show has showcased 450 diverse comedians and continues to expand due to the growing demand of diverse content. Shaikh launched the show to provide a platform to minorities (like herself), to provide them opportunity to showcase their talents and have their stories heard. The show went on to launch a sold-out Girls Night Out series, as well as a GAY AF Comedy Show in West Hollywood, showcasing comedians from the LGBTQIA+ community. The show Desi Girls Night Out had sold out shows in 2021 at the NY Comedy Festival, and made history by being the first show of its kind featuring an all South Asian and Middle Eastern female comedian lineup, all of it the brainchild of Shaikh.

Her other worlds include an Op-Ed in the Hollywood Reporter, appearances on MSNBC, Cheddar News and CNN, and headliner showcase on The Laugh Factory. She is a regular on the TV show The Young Turks, and the Stephanie Miller Show on SiriusXM and Mo’Kelly Show on IHeartRadio. Shaikh’s comedy routines have received international acclaim, and she has headlined shows in Dubai, Portugal and London. She is a regular at Los Angeles major comedy clubs. Currently Shaikh is also playing the role of Donna Abbasi on ABC’s The Rookie as well as Reina Rafter on Apple TV+ Helpsters.

She has also been featured in LA Times, The Guardian, LA Weekly, Forves, Newsweek, Hugginton Post, Washington post and the BBC.

Shaikh is known for her off-beat sense of humour and fearless criticism of conservative cultures, and gains inspiration from her South Asian background and experiences of life in her current home – America. Her role models are comedians Chris Rock and George Carlin, and she hopes to achieve the same that they did.

“What they did for people is they made them think,” she said. “That’s my goal.” — Mona Shaikh

Website. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. Youtube.

RADHIKA VAZ
India

Huffington Post has named comedian and writer Radhika Vaz ‘the Indian Wanda Sykes’, for her gender-stereotype breaking ideologies. Along with her support for feminism and advocating for equal rights and opportunities for everyone, Vaz has also openly discussed her decision to remain childless in the face of societal pressures. Through her work, she has highlighted the reactions and backlash that women, particularly South Asian women, experience when expressing their very personal decision of not having children.

Vaz’ web-series Shugs & Fats (that she co-created and wrote) has won the prestigious Gotham Award, along with putting her on the list of “25 New Faces of Independent Film” by filmmaker magazine. The series is “a comedy web-series about two Hijabis on a quest to reconcile their long held cultural beliefs with a new life in “liberated” Brooklyn”. She regularly performs her hour-long stand-up comedy shows in New York, LA, Singapore, Dubai and all across India.

Born into an Indian Air-Force family, Vaz began her career in the communication industry, working in telemarketing, sales and advertising agencies. She inadvertently got introduced to the world of improv comedy while taking an acting class, and the rest, as they say, is history. A foray into improv grew her passion for stand-up comedy, and today is one of the most sought-after Indian comedians, both in India and abroad. She has continued her work with improv by running comedy and writing workshops for beginners in the industry, with New York’s pre-eminent Improv school – Improvolution.

In addition to the above, Vaz has written ‘Unladylike, A Memoir’ – a collection of comedic essays, and has written columns for Times of India, GQ, Architectural Digest and Washington Post.

Youtube. Instagram.

SASHI PERERA
Australia

Sashi Perera hilariously calls herself “Comedian. Writer. Recovering lawyer”.

Her comedy routines draw inspiration from daily life struggles as well as her experiences as a refugee lawyer – a career that had her travelling from Australia to the Middle East and East Asia. In 2024, her debut solo show Endings was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Perera combines her penchant for improv comedy with her travel experiences and satirical reflections on everyday life to deliver witty comedy sketches, that have given her a massive social media following (over 40 million views on instagram) and helped her get featured as “One To Watch” at the UK 2021 Funny Women Awards (the only Australian comedian to do so). She has also been a two-time RAW Comedy finalist. She has also performed in the show The Breast Of The Fest.

Time Out has called her ‘Insightful and wickedly funny.’ and Chortle (UK) has praised her for her ‘Delightful, low key charisma.’ Chortle (UK)

Perera has written columns and been featured in national Australian publications such as Broadsheet and Refinery29. She has has some acting credits under her belt, such as in the short film and winner of the Best Victorian Short (Monster Fest 22) Hen, The Best Dumplings In Melbourne (screened at Flickerfest 23) and an advertisement for Heaps Normal.

Perera is currently touring in Europe and Australia, with tour dates in multiple cities (with quite a few sold out shows!).

“One To Watch” — UK 2021 Funny Women Awards

https://sashi.com.au/. Instagram. Youtube.

SINDHU VEE
United Kingdom

UK-based Sindhu Vee is an award-winning comedienne, actor and writer. Vee comes from an investment banking background, and since taking on stand-up comedy has become one of most sought-after comedians in UK.

Vee has been doing stand-up comedy since 2012 and has various accomplishments under her belt. Her debut comedy routine Sandhog was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award for Best Newcomer in 2018, and can be watched on Prime Video UK’s Soho Theatre Live Comedy stream. Vee’s Sandhog has had sold-out runs both in UK (featuring 92 shows) and in India, in addition to performing for NDTV’s Rising Stars of Comedy. More recently, Vee has been touring across North America with her stand-up comedy routines.

Vee’s rising acting career includes BBC Two’s Live At The Apollo, has been a guest on BBC panel shows Mock The Week, QI & Have I Got News For You. Vee has also had roles in the critically acclaimed Netflix originals Feel Good and Sex Education. On radio, Vee hosted her show Things My Mother Never Told Me About Lockdown, and wrote and hosted her own series Sindhustan (BBC Radio 4). She currently co-hosts the Child Labour podcast with Stuart Goldsmith for Radio X, in addition to regularly joining The Guilty Feminist podcast with Deborah Frances-White.

Website. Instagram. Facebook. Youtube.

UROOJ ASHFAQ
India

Mumbai-based Urooj Ashfaq is the first India-based comedian to win the Best Newcomer Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for her stand-up show Oh No, a taboo-breaking routine where she ponders upon cultural differences, therapy and her parents’ divorce. This was the first in the festival’s 40-year history.

Ashfaq’s comedy combines self-deprecating humor with a positive, uplifting attitude, giving her a unique perspective that the audiences seem to love. Discovering her love for stand-up comedy at open mics in Jay Hind College in Mumbai, she perfected her skill and learned how to keep an audience engaged for an hour by practicing with many multiple performances (around 200 a year!) – both solo shows and open mic nights across India.

She draws inspiration from Sarah Silverman, James Acaster and Bridget Christie, and prefers live comedy shows over online sessions. “The hard work that comedians put in is to get on stage even when they have had a bad evening or even weeks. Public speaking and humiliation are great fears but that is something one has to get past to say: ‘I’ll still do this, try to make this joke better’ and that’s what everybody does.” – Urooj Ashfaq.

The Times (UK) has called her “An electrifying comic talent from Mumbai.”, along with The Guardian praising her performances as “Delivered with engaging skill and grace.’ The Guardian (UK)

“An electrifying comic talent from Mumbai” – The Times (UK)

Youtube. Instagram.

ZARNA GARG
United States

Zarna Garg is one of today’s most well-known Indians stand-up comedians, and is known for her clean, family-friendly comedy while sporting traditional Indian kurtas and bindi. Zarna’s comedy routines and sketches dive into everything from Indian life to maternal life, and brown men (and their mothers!) to her satirical observations on American life.

Zarna’s academic background is in the world of finance (India), which later evolved into a career in law in New York. Performing funny speeches and skits for family and friends was a beloved hobby, which soon turned into a successful career as her TikTok popularity gained momentum. Today Zarna has over 100 million views on TikTok and a fast growing 510.7k followers.

In her 2023 chat with ANOKHI’s editor Meena Khan, Garg mentioned how The intensity of [motherhood] necessitates humour, “I relied on humour to keep the balance in the family because children do a lot of things that could upset you. Your life is very stretched when the kids are little. If you don’t have humour, you are going to lose your mind. It could get dark really fast, so I relied on humour to make it light for my family. Laughter is the ultimate medicine. Laughter is also a weapon or an art form. For those who are strategic, laughter can open a lot of doors, and it has for me.”

In addition to her social media presence, Garg has an Amazon original stand-up comedy sketch One In A Billion, hosts The Zarna Garg Family Podcast and is currently touring across North America with stand-up shows in various cities. In 2024, Garg also made her late night show debut with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, to rave reviews. In 2023, Garg also participated in the sold-out Just For Laughs Montreal, the world-renowned comedy festival that has stops in Toronto, Vancouver, Sydney and London. Garg won Kevin Hart’s 2021 Lyft Comics, and was approached by Hart’s team itself to participate. Garg credits her “nani-dadi-pota-poti approved” sans profanity comedy routine for catching Kevin Hart’s attention. Garg has previously performed in Vegas, and regularly performs at the iconic Comedy Cellar and Carolines on Broadway in NYC. Other accolades include the 2021 Ladies of Laughter Newcomer Award, the Top Comedy Feature Screenplay Award at the 2019 Austin Film Festival, and a Nicholl Fellowships Semi-Finalist.

Garg told ANOKHI, “I wish to bring the great Indian experience to everybody. I want everybody to know that Indian people are fun-loving, vibrant and that we have our own neuroses, like every culture. We come with love, we spread love wherever we go, we are very joyful, especially brown women which somehow that portrayal has been missing in major media”.

Full interview can be read here.

Website. Instagram. Facebook. Twitter. Youtube.

These wonderful South Asian comediennes are defying all odds, making their indelible mark in the comedy world, and paving the way for aspiring South Asian comedians to succeed in this non-traditional career path. Here at ANOKHI, we are incredibly proud of their accomplishments, and wish them the very best in their future endeavors.

Cover Design: Karam Girn
Photo Credits:
Zarna Garg – https://zarnagarg.com/photos/
Sindhu vee – https://www.facebook.com/sindhuveecomedian/photos
Mona shaikh – https://monashaikh.com/
Aparna nancherla – https://aparnacomedy.com/
Radhika vaz – https://www.instagram.com/p/C3J9pU0pX_D/
Urooj Ashfaq – https://www.instagram.com/p/C7cDCCIIBs-/?hl=en&img_index=7
Kaneez surka – https://www.kaneezsurka.com/
Sashi perera – https://sashi.com.au/pages/about