Zarna Garg, seamlessly blends her Indian roots and American experiences, crafting humor that resonates with immigrant tales, cultural quirks, and the riotous joys of family life. In an exclusive interview, Zarna discusses her comedic journey, relatable content creation, and tackling sensitive topics with a light-hearted touch.
Excerpts from the interview
Growing up, was your funny bone always on display? Any influences that might have unconsciously shaped your sense of humor?
Zarna: I had to use my sense of humor to survive. After I got kicked out of home at the age of 14, I learned that people will let you stay on their couch a little longer if you’re funny and add something to the conversation. Influences? I was watching Seinfeld growing up in India, so I guess you could say I’ve been a New Yorker for life.
Could you walk us through your creative process?
Zarna: I am laughing at life every day. I audition it for friends and family, then it might go on my social pages as a video joke or a tweet, and then it goes into my stand-up set.
Balancing humor and sensitivity in jokes is challenging. How do you maintain that balance, when covering personal/cultural topics?
Zarna: A lot of people would disagree with you there. I had a wave of hate comments after a joke in my recent special, one that I thought was pretty careful and tame. And that taught me that you can’t keep tiptoeing, you just have to say what you have to say and let the people who want to get offended get offended.
Managing a household with three kids seems like a comedy act in itself. Can you tell us about a particularly amusing or chaotic moment that you’ve brilliantly transformed into comedic material?
Zarna: We just film every interaction now and put it on Instagram and now our new podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple. You are watching in real time as my children grow up in my care. I’m tired of parenting and I’m going to let the internet do it for me.
Your recent video delved into discussing “sex and periods” within the family, sparking mixed reactions. How did you approach shooting that, considering the sensitivity of the topic? What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from that experience?
Zarna: the time we shot that podcast episode, our whole family had years of experience putting ourselves out there on our social media. We were very comfortable to take a deep dive into some hard conversations together and in public. We knew it’s not something talked about amongst Indian families and we might have something of value to offer. As for the most valuable lesson I learned, it’s never give my husband a microphone unsupervised.
Your Amazon special is a relatable gem. Putting yourself out there must have its challenges. How do you unwind and recharge?
Zarna: I try roughly to keep a schedule that has the word “sleep” written on it in red letters. But the truth of it is I’m just more motivated by the fear of losing momentum that I just have to keep going.
Mother-in-law dynamics have become a recurring theme in your comedy. What inspired you to choose this topic? Which joke would you be most nervous about her hearing?
Zarna: There is a market gap for mother-in-law comedy everywhere. Everyone relates to these jokes! Where have they been? My mother-in-law is fine with all my jokes since they make money.
In a hypothetical scenario where your mother-in-law decided to try her hand at stand-up, what kind of jokes do you think she’d joyfully crack about you?
Zarna: am not giving her free material here! She has an agent already!
Family feedback can range from heartwarming to brutally honest. What’s the most touching compliment and most candid criticism received from your family?
Zarna: My kids says I am the best mother and the smartest person I know, and they are not even paid. Also, they are not allowed to offer candid criticism.
(Visit https://zarnagarg.com/events/ for show dates and venues)
