Karmic lessons and laughs with new SBS podcast Comedy Karma – What’s the difference between an ‘assisted’ and ‘arranged’ marriage? What do Jesus and Sachin Tendulkar have in common, and why is it so embarrassing ordering mild food at Indian restaurants?
Laugh with some of the most exciting South Asian comics in Australia as they talk about jokes, race, culture, accents and so much more in SBS Audio’s hot new podcast – Comedy Karma!
Podcast host Aditya Gautam – anauthor, screenwriter and stand-up comedianoriginally from Delhi and now a proud Melbournian – invites those who make a living from making others laugh to spill the chai on the challenges of being a South Asian comedian and finding a sense of identity in a diverse Australia.
Aditya talks candidly about his own experiences, including becoming an Australian citizen and acknowledging his own privilege as a straight, middle-class man while drawing out the experiences of guests who, for example, identify as a “minority within a minority” including LGBTIQ+ people from South Asia.
“These are the funniest South Asian comedians in Australia, taking you into the world of being a funny, brown person and everything about identity, culture and comedy they have learned along the way,”
– he said.
Packed with anecdotes many of the South Asian diaspora will recognise and relate to, Comedy Karma runs the gamut of South Asian diversity across Bangladeshi, Indian, Nepali, Pakistani and Sri Lankan cultures, exploring identity in a diverse Australia in 10 episodes.
Guests include:
- Dr Ahmed Kazmi believes laughter is the best medicine. After being ‘a funny doctor’, he decided to try stand-up comedy using his love-life as a gay Pakistani doctor as material. With Aditya he talks about how comedy and media influences culture and how to make a real difference in peoples’ lives.
- Sashi Perera is a comedian, writer and recovering lawyer. Now a rising star nominated for Best Newcomer at the Melbourne Comedy Festival in 2023, Sashi talks about her previous life as a refugee lawyer, being mistaken as Indian, and being DM’ed by American comedian Hasan Minhaj.
- You might recognise the very funny Suraj Kolarkar from God’s Favourite Idiot on Netflix or the SBS Audio podcast My First Year in Australia. The stand-up comedian and actor talks about growing up playing cricket in India, the strict teachers from his childhood, and how being heckled on the street before a gig stopped him telling a joke about being an Uber driver.
- Suren Jayemanne is a comedian, writer and actor known for his comedy on SBS and the ABC. In his conversation with Aditya, he talks about how a flight to Edinburgh helped him write his most told joke and how he gets around being embarrassed when ordering mild food at Indian restaurants.
- Melbourne comedian, writer and actor Urvi Majumdar has performed to packed audiences at Australia’s biggest writing and comedy festivals. On the podcast, she talks about her dad who loves a fresh fruit bargain, and how both her dad and partner love Excel spreadsheets.
Comedy Karma is available to listen now on the SBS Audio app through the new destination channel SBS South Asian, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, LiSTNR and wherever else you stream podcasts.
Media Release – SBS
Link to SBS Audio HERE
TV Central SBS content HERE
Karmic lessons and laughs with new SBS podcast Comedy Karma
