South Asians are on track to be the largest migrant community in Australia (and Indians alone are already the second largest migrant group). But why doesn’t one of Australia’s biggest spectacles showcasing arts and culture – through stand-up comedy – struggle to feature more brown people?
The comedy festival season is here, with thousands of comedy fans flocking to shows across many major cities in Australia and… a show coming back to Melbourne and Sydney comedy fests this year is Brown Women Comedy.
What makes this collective of South Asian talent particularly unique is that they feature a combination of homegrown talent with relatable lived experience in Australia, plus international talent jetting in… AND they’re women performing comedy in what’s traditionally been a male-dominated industry.
Yes, local acts such as the likes of Nazeem Hussain and Dilruk Jayasinha are back on stage. They sell out shows and bring their own much-needed content to the scene. High profile brown acts like Danny Bhoy and Varun Grover will be flown in for their shows, signalling the demand for international brown comedians to bring their comedic wit Down Under.
But there’s something refreshing and liberating about seeing South Asian women – each unapologetically being themselves, bringing their unique flair to the stage, and tackling some seriously taboo topics in our communities while leaving us in stitches by the end of it.
After a sold-out tour in 2024, with over 3,400 attendees across 41 shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, Brown Women Comedy is back this year with comedians: Daizy Maan (Melbourne), Niv Prakasam (India), Ramya Ramapriya (India), Kru Harale (Melbourne) and Guneet Kaur (Sydney).
“Brown Women Comedy has resonated with thousands of people across Australia,” says Daizy Maan, Founder of Australian South Asian Centre & Producer – Brown Women Comedy, in an official press statement issued to Draw Your Box.
Maan speaks about the opportunity to increase female South Asian representation at festivals, namely the Melbourne International Comedy Festival given its huge platform and reach.
“Melbourne International Comedy Festival is the third largest comedy festival in the world attended by over 700 000 people.  Our team at Australian South Asian Centre identified that out of 600+ shows last year (2024) there were only 19 by women of colour and 2 by Indian & South Asian Australian comedians,” says Maan.
“The South Asian community is the fastest growing with over 1.3 million people – yet our arts scene does not reflect the diversity – we’re here to change that narrative.”
As for what else we can actually expect from the shows, the official Brown Women Comedy Instagram page gives us a cheeky teaser.
“New look, same savage energy,” reads one of their recent post captions.
“We got a glow-up but don’t worry—we didn’t soften. We’re still serving bold & besharam jokes that’ll make your aunty do a double take and your uncle call us a ‘bad influence’,” it continues, adding, “10% more mischief” and “100% less sharam”
“2025 is looking wild and our winged liner is taking us places”.
Look out!
Check out the dates and times for Brown Women Comedy 2025 below:
Melbourne International Comedy Festival (9 – 20 April 2025)
Venues:Â FortyFiveDownstairs @ 45 Flinders Lane & Fitzroy Town Hall
 Times: 5:45pm, 6:45pm & 7:45pm
Sydney Comedy Festival (22 – 26 April 2025)
Venues:Â Riverside Theatres Parramatta (22-25 April, 7:00pm) & The Comedy Store (26 April, 6:45pm)
Regional RoadshowÂ
6 June Wagga Wagga Civic Theatre
7 June Griffith Regional Theatre
16 July Shepparton Riverlink
17 July  Wodonga HotHouse Theatre
18 July Dubbo Regional Theatre & Convention CentreÂ
More ticket information is available here.
Top article image source: Supplied/Brown Women Comedy
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