Your Go-To Guide To The South Asian Australian Comedians At The Melbourne International Comedy Festival

This is Brown Boy Magazine’s go-to guide to the South Asian Australian comedians at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Yep, that’s right. We went through 29 pages of shows and played our version of Where’s Wally?—or should we say, Where’s Waruna?

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival runs from 29 March to 23 April 2023. Prepare to giggle-snort, guffaw and ha-ha-ha with all these rib-tickling comedians—click the links below to get the deets.

We’re only humans, though, so we might’ve missed a few comedians from the diaspora while playing spot the South Asian Australian. If we have, drop us a line (abuse welcome), and we’ll add them to the list tout suite. 

Prices are rising faster than Harry Styles’s music career, and the world’s looking a tad cruddy right now. So, if you can, please see a show and support these talented humans. 

1. Amna Bee, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Daizy Maan & Kripa Krithivasan

Brown Women Comedy

‘Laugh your heart out to an award-winning besharam (shameless) line-up of Indian, Pakistani
and South Asian comedians living in Australia. No topic is too taboo. Your parents won’t approve, but Amna, Kripa, Sukhjit and Daizy will make you feel better about failing your parents, being independent and the making of your identity.’

Get tickets to Brown Women Comedy.

2. Aarti Vincent

Tight Mums, Loose Units (+ Lisa Lee, Marilyn Leder & Pradeepa Timmermans)

‘A smorgasbord of stand-up comedy and song. One hour, four hot mammas crash and cut loose on stage. You will be laughing in tears and questioning everything you know about marriage and womanhood.’

‘Aarti Vincent has performed three solo and split Melbourne International Comedy Festival shows over two years including I didn’t grow up doing yoga!, Miss-Understanding and Sketchy People. She recently hung up her yoga teacher’s mat and has been killing audiences regularly around Melbourne with her observational humour.’

Get tickets to Tight Mums, Loose Units.

3. Aarti Vincent, Ateev Dang & Rajat Chopra

Comedy Dhaba

‘Three comics of Indian background sharing their stories of living in Australia. The humorous show takes you on a journey of their migration and attempts to identify both as Indians and Australians. Their struggles, confusion and chaos are sure to bring the house down. The show will be mainly in Hindi.’

Get tickets to Comedy Dhaba.

4. Aditya Gautam

Don’t Call Me a Papadam

‘Warning – This is not just a comedy show! This is the most amazing, the most exquisite, the most spicy, the most delicious looking, the most exotic smelling curry you will ever have!‘ 

‘Aditya Gautam is an Author, screenwriter and stand-up comedian, but most importantly, he is Indian as f**k. Born and brought up in Delhi, Aditya now lives in Melbourne.’

Go see Aditya Gautam.

Racist Immigrants

‘Immigrants and raci*t?! Whaaa !? An hour of unabashed comedy that will leave you crying with laughter and questioning everything you know about immigrants and cultures as it attempts to break all stereotypes.’

Get tickets to Racist Immigrants.

5. Ajeet Hansra

Cheap Hungry Smelly (+ Jake Zukerman and Kya De Angelis)

‘Drawing on experiences from their heritage and daily observations, Cheap Hungry Smelly brings to light the nuances of intricate Melbourne communities. The show is about silly observations, real-life stories and animals (not for fans of PETA).’

‘Ajeet Hansra is a Melbourne-based, Indian-Australian comedian. Raised by immigrant parents in Australia, Ajeet has acquired a unique perspective, living on both sides of his culture.’

Get tickets to Cheap Hungry Smelly.

6. Bharath Rao, Tej Munuganti and Aaqib Merchant

The Amazing Race War

‘Five comics. Three nations. One hour. Will they solve racism, or start a race war? Either way, it’ll be amazing.’

‘Bharath Rao combines light and dark humour in a way that will have you in stitches. Tej Munuganti is a comedian who only talks about turbans and Dilmah.’ And ‘Aaqib Merchant hails from the city of dreams: Mumbai. But all he’s experienced are nightmares. He mixes the real with the absurd, ending up with a Frankenstein!’

Get tickets to The Amazing Race War.

7. Dahn Rozario

White People Need to Relax

‘TikTok sensation Dahn Rozario brings his very first full hour of stand-up to Melbourne. He’s breaking down the stereotypes and showing people just how loud Indians can be and highlights what it means to be an ethnic person in a white world.’

Go see Dahn Rozario.

8. Dilruk Jayasinha

Heart Stopper

‘In Hindi “dil” means heart and “ruk” means stop! While Dilruk isn’t Indian, Heart Stopper is an apt title for his brand-new hour of stand-up, given that last year, one of his arteries tried to hit the brakes on his heart. Spoiler alert: he survived.’

Go see Dilruk Jayasinha.

9. Guneet Kaur

Manic Pixie Dream Goblin

‘Guneet Kaur (RAW Comedy National Finalist 2022) debuts her first solo hour about being the messy queer mid-20s goblin-woman that she is. Expect a smorgasbord of jokes about dating, periods and being a menace to society.’

Go see Guneet Kaur.

10. Garry Johal

Habitual Line Steppers (+ Mimi Shaheen, Jeremy Dooley)

‘Three comics. One riotous hour of laughs. According to rapturous audiences around the country, Mimi Shaheen, Garry Johal & Jeremy Dooley are Habitual Line Steppers. Garry Johal is a grizzled veteran taking no prisoners as he blends risqué, edgy material with observations about every day life.’ 

Get tickets to Habitual Line Steppers.

11. Kru Harale

The Breast of The Fest

‘We’re celebrating our fifth year with a fresh batch of boobs ready to show off their b(r)e(a)st material. Our 2023 cast features Maren May, Christina Schmidt, Kru Harale, Grace Zhang and Casey Gothard. The Breast of the Fest is a celebration of fresh talent and diversity in stand-up comedy, and we invite everyone to join us, breasts or no breasts.’

Get tickets to The Breast of The Fest.

12. Rohan Ganju

An Evening With Rohan Ganju

‘Rohan Ganju presents an hour of his latest and best material. Sides will be split, ribs tickled and knees slapped as Rohan covers topics ranging from Uber Eats, the awkward reality of growing up bi-racial, hurtful public restroom graffiti, receiving comprehensive instructions on how to fight dogs while working as a gas meter reader and of course, the end of the world.’

Go see Rohan Ganju.

13. Rowan Thambar

Nothing Deep, Just Good Times

‘This is a show for people who want comedy that tastes like real comedy. It’s an hour filled with jokes, observations and stories that are designed solely for the light-hearted entertainment of you and your loved ones. You will definitely not connect emotionally with Rowan in any way, shape or form. This show is a feeling, a vibe.’

Go see Rowan Thambar.

Earnestly Said Than Done (+ Nick Robertson)

‘Telling your story can be hard, but it’s a lot easier than making real change in your life. Earnestly Said Than Done brings together two comedians who both really want to grow as people.’

Get tickets to Earnestly Said Than Done.

14. Sami Shah

Successful Comedian

‘Multi-award-winning comedian Sami Shah is still trying to understand the world he lives in. He just wants to get along with everyone, yet somehow manages to cause trouble wherever he goes.’

Go see Sami Shah.

15. Sashi Perera

Endings

‘Is every death a tragedy, every break-up a crisis and every ending a bad one? Hell no. Let Melbourne’s Sashi Perera squash your fear of endings in this hilarious show.  Why are we so afraid of endings? And why do beginnings steal all the glory? ‘

‘Sashi’s unique international tales, bizarre perspectives and sharp wit combine in Endings to deliver an incredible bundle of laughs and an entertaining night out.’

Go see Sashi Perera.

16. Suraj Kolarkar

Que Suraj Suraj

‘Suraj is a standup comic and actor, appearing on tv shows God’s Favourite Idiot on Netflix as well as Apple TV and Paramount’s epic Shantaram in 2022. He combines sharp observational material with affable storytelling. He has performed everywhere from Melbourne Town Hall for SBS to aboard a moving train for Triple M.’

Go see Suraj Kolarkar.

17. Suren Jayemanne

The Bag of Vegeta

‘A comedy show about fears, desires and how they are one and the same. With some vegeta sprinkled on top. In The Bag of Vegeta, Suren explores everything from rescue dogs to meditation and in doing so makes the case for funny accents, flavour enhancers and the oneness of everything.’

Go see Suren Jayemanne.

18. Urvi Majumdar

Urvi Went To An All Girls School

‘Urvi Majumdar went to an all girls school, and you can tell. From awkward obsessions, to casting spells and planning the perfect formal, this show is like Dolly magazine’s sealed section — full of the best bits and insane confessions. This coming-of-age show is a snapshot into the life of your average girl trying to fit into the expectations of migrant parents whilst trying hard to appear cool at all times.’

Go see Urvi Majumdar.

Brown Boy Magazine (@brownboyau) celebrates worship-worthy tastemakers and changemakers in the South Asian Australian diaspora (without taking itself too seriously).