In the past decade, Indian comedians have made a significant impact on the global comedy scene, offering an authentic desi perspective to audiences worldwide. But none have had such a meteoric rise as Zarna Garg, who blends her unique experiences of being a brown mom, disciplining today’s teenagers, and handling a chaotic mother-in-law, all with hilarious punchlines! Fresh from her successful India tour, My Kolkata spoke to the comedian about her new show, her experiences with Indian audiences and more.
My Kolkata: What’s your new show, Practical People Win about?
Zarna Garg: My new show is all about helping people succeed in their lives. I believe that people should stay away from all these modern ideas like, ‘kids should become anything they want’ and ‘dream big’. No, don’t dream big! Don’t think out of the box. Staying in the box produced doctors, lawyers, and engineers. We stayed in the box and reached the moon! Let’s just do old fashioned things that help us in life.
You performed in India for the first time. How was the experience?
Years ago, I left India under difficult circumstances. When you experience negative emotions somewhere, it is a scary place to go back to. To be honest, I was very anxious about how the audiences here would perceive me, but India has been full of love! The warm welcome I received made this homecoming surpass all my expectations. The biggest misconception I had was that if I made fun of the audience, they would take it personally. I felt that way since stand-up comedy is still new in India. But it is incredible to see that the audiences are truly ready to laugh.
Are you adapting the material for Indian audiences (and your mother-in-law) in any special way?
The core of the show is the same because it is about my life, my husband, my kids and my mother-in-law. But I do adapt my material — not just based on the country, but also the city. There is some customisation for each location and venue.
Besides performing, what else are you looking forward to, during your India trip?
The No.1 thing you do in India — eat (laughs)!
The last year has been significant for you, with a new podcast, comedy special and now, a movie! How do you manage to juggle so many hats?
With drugs. No, not the illegal kind. I take a lot of medication, which is a signature part of living in New York. We are all heavily medicated, depressed souls. Jokes apart, there is no work-life balance. I work 24*7. People working with me know that they can reach out anytime, and I will respond. It helps that my kids are a bit older and they’re taking care of themselves now. And, my husband is finally stepping in and becoming the father that he should have been 20 years ago. Somebody tell his mom (chuckles)!
Based on the overwhelming response, Zarna hopes to return to India very soon
Given your significant following in India, do you feel like brown experiences in both the West and in India are becoming increasingly similar?
Yes, definitely. Life in the big cities of India is quite similar to life abroad. Every parent is complaining about how kids don’t listen, and how expensive it is to raise them. This isn’t even about being Indian, because some things are just universal. Any person raising kids anywhere in the world will relate to these things. A part of it is also my skill, because my job is to find experiences that unite us all.
What’s an experience unique to you, as an Indian woman, performing comedy internationally?
Okay, I’ll vent for a minute now (takes a deep breath). My outfits are a constant challenge! When I travel — and I travel a lot — all my outfits come with me. Unlike male comics and most female comics in the world, I can’t just get off the plane and buy something from GAP. Everything I wear is custom-made in India. I’m always in a state of panic, because if my bag doesn’t make it, I don’t have an outfit to wear on stage. I have huge carry-on bags with me, because I have emergency outfits on my body at all times. That gives me immense stress, but I love my outfits so much that I wouldn’t change them!
Zarna has multiple TV projects in development in Hollywood
What’s next for Zarna Garg?
This tour with Fukra Entertainment has been a lot of fun. We’ve got a great reception, and I believe that we will be back soon. Besides this, I just finished filming a movie called A Nice Indian Boy, which is also coming out soon. It will be groundbreaking, and Indians will especially love it for its big, desi heart. My podcast, The Zarna Garg Family Podcast, has been exploding on every platform, and I have multiple TV projects in development in Hollywood, so there’s a lot cooking.
