Shalaka is a self-proclaimed nerd with a PHD in trains whilst loading herself with Millennial angst. Those are supposed to be the most interesting and unique things about her. However, just because she’s from India, the audiences in the UK expect her to talk about being Indian or South Asian.
In this episode, Shalaka eloquently explains her own code switching, detailing her accent automatically adjusts based on the people she talks. This is the result of a racist “friend” at Uni constantly mocking her accent for years. As a first generation immigrant, she is also surprised by the gap between how the British Indians’ idea of India and the India she knows from growing up in Bangalore.
Her ethnicity becomes an easy target for the sometimes lazy opponents during Comedy Roast Battles, which only serves Shalaka as she excels in this specific format of comedy shows (UK Roast Battle Champion and International Roast Battle MVP).
You can catch Shalaka at the following work-in-progress shows:
May 24th - The Boathouse, Cambridge Fringe (tickets)
June 6th - Canal Café, Chichester Fringe (tickets)
*Your host Kuan-wen referenced Ronny Chieng's bit on The Daily Show, the idea being "Indians are not Asians (in America)" It was a topical line when Rishi Sunak became the UK's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage. See the clip here.
Another reference is to Russell Peters. We cannot find the exact clip but there is a similar clip of crowd interaction from Russell Peters mocking a Taiwanese American (or maybe Canadian) for having an Anglicised name. See the clip here.
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Follow Shalaka on Instagram
Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram
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Intro
Not insisting on the correct pronunciation for her name
Hilarious caption typo in Shabaka’s Comedy Central clip
Code switching - Shabaka’s accent changes depending on who she talks to
What do people (in the UK) mean when they say “Asian”?
Shalaka’s different way of speaking at South Asian gigs
An idea of India frozen in time
Attitude towards women also frozen in time
People’s view on India from British Indians vs from Indians
Clownery of your own culture in front of audience that are not South Asian
Shalaka’s light Indian accent is the result of befriending someone racist to her
More self-reflection on her accent
Minority comedians mimicking an accent that is not genuinely theirs
How Schlaka’s ethnicity is used as attack lines during Roast Battle matches
White racism not as hurtful as Indian to Indian racism
Not focusing on being the Indian comic; not pandering
Shalaka’s own memory of India also has a gap with India today
Shalaka’s social media
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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe
