Latest news with #ZarnaGarg
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
In conversation with comedian Zarna Garg on her new book ‘This American Woman'
I'm now so American, I not only have opinions, I monetise them!' proclaims comedian Zarna Garg on a recent episode of the talk show, Late Night with Seth Meyers. Garg's unique brand of observational comedy about Indian immigrant life in the U.S. has been setting social media ablaze. From dishing out hilarious Indian mother-in-law jokes to delivering parenting hot takes, donned in her statement functional outfit comprising a kurta paired with a belt and matching salwar, Garg, 50, never misses a beat. 'When I'm on stage, people call me the machine gun of jokes,' she tells me over a Zoom call. It is close to midnight in the U.S. but Garg is firing away, about her Hollywood debut last year, her upcoming shows, and most notably, her recent memoir, This American Woman (published by Penguin Random House). Comedian Zarna Garg on her new book, 'This American Woman: A One-In-A-Billion Memoir' The title, she says, is both a nod to a running joke in her family, where she was often labelled 'American' for speaking her mind, as well as a bid to be relatable to an international audience. Also, she quips, 'I don't really connect with the titles that a lot of Indian authors write,' adding that there is no beloved mango tree or courtyard from her childhood she could have referred to in the title. 'I never saw a guava tree [growing up]. I have no idea if guavas grow on a tree.' Dating tips and marriage The book mirrors Garg's personality; it is an easy read packed with anecdotes from the author's life and is narrated in a conversational tone. Garg says she meant for the book 'to feel like you're having a conversation with a friend'. Each chapter takes up a part of Garg's journey — from growing up in an affluent household in India to leaving home at 14 when faced with the prospect of marriage after her mother's untimely death, to moving to the U.S. at 17 to start life afresh. After getting married and being a stay-at-home mother of three, Garg strikes gold as a standup comic at the age of 44. 'Every chapter had to have a full story arc. The way this book is written, any one chapter could be a TV show, could be a movie itself,' says Garg, who also hosts a family-run podcast, where she is joined by her husband and three children as they discuss everything from health to god to fame and its pitfalls. There is a portion of the memoir that has gone viral where Garg shares how she posted an ad online (when the Internet was just beginning to rule our lives) to find a life partner. And how her request to potential suitors to include 'their most recent tax returns and medical records', caught the eye of her now husband of 27 years, Shalabh. Ask her what advice she would give single people in the age of dating apps, and Garg is quick to say that they should have a list of three core beliefs and no more. In her own case, Garg adds, 'If things don't work out with my husband… I'm going to be looking for a billionaire with a heart disease.' Is India stuck in the past? On the work front, Garg's second comedy special, Practical People Win, will be out on Hulu and JioHotstar in July. Her first, One in a Billion, is available on Amazon Prime and has rave reviews, although a section of viewers complains that her comedy dissects an India 'that has moved on'. Garg begs to differ. 'I think the modern Indians have moved on. But India is a much bigger country than the 5-10% of urban India.' She adds, 'In my estimation, no country has changed that much. It's not just India, even America, if anything, might have even regressed a little bit in the last few years.' Last year, she played the role of the mother in an Indian immigrant family in director Roshan Sethi's romantic comedy A Nice Indian Boy, which premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas. The film drew appreciation for its leads' heartfelt performances, with reviews calling Garg 'a delight'. Up next is a sitcom based on her life, produced by Mindy Kaling and Kevin Hart. But Garg, who says she grew up on a steady literary diet of Enid Blyton, Jeffrey Archer and Sidney Sheldon, is also in the process of putting together her second book — a motivational title with a mom twist, 'because a lot of motivation books in the bookstores are very businessy… And I feel like moms do so much motivating all day'. There's no arguing with that logic, whether in India or the U.S. The writer is a Delhi-based literary critic and research scholar.
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Zarna Garg Knows That Sometimes Pretty Hurts
Even with faint splotches of blood blooming across her cheeks, Zarna Garg seemed unfazed. Looks can be deceiving. 'I'm panicking inside,' the comedian confessed as Dr. Sonali Lal drew a laser device with 49 pulsing needles to her skin. 'I wouldn't do this at a place that's not run by a doctor,' Ms. Garg said. 'You have to have some faith in who's shooting this thing right next to your eye.' She paused, then deadpanned: 'I would send my mother-in-law to the nearby spot. She doesn't need a doctor.' Coming off the April publication of her New York Times best seller, 'This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir,' Ms. Garg stopped by Dr. Lal's Upper West Side clinic, RejuvaMed, on a drizzly Friday for one of her favorites: a 'vampire facial,' or micro-needling layered with platelet-rich plasma (P.R.P.). (Total cost: $750.) First, she traded her outfit — a cheery yellow cotton churidar-kurta with delicate flowers custom made in India by the designer Mallika Mathur, paired with orange sandals from Lukurë — for a simple black-and-white kurta, yoga pants, fuzzy pink socks and black Crocs. Dr. Lal placed a stress ball in Ms. Garg's hand as she drew her blood, filling three vials that would be centrifuged to extract yellow platelets. Last time, Ms. Garg recalled, she went home with a doggy bag of leftover P.R.P. 'Every time I washed my face, I dabbed it,' she said. 'It was like breast milk. You don't waste a drop, right?' Dr. Lal nodded. 'They call it liquid gold,' she said. Until five years ago, Ms. Garg's beauty routine consisted of 'Aveeno body lotion on my face and Vaseline.' Now 50, she's upgraded her regimen: 'I use a very expensive La Mer lip balm. I'm not sure it's that different from Vaseline, but it feels good.' As a stay-at-home mother on the Upper East Side, Ms. Garg was not used to prioritizing herself. 'I have a complicated relationship with self-care — if you're a South Asian woman, you're taught that self-care is bad, it's selfish,' she said. 'If you want to look good, why? You're already married, it's about your kids now.' When her entertainment career took off, she grew motivated to take better care of her appearance. 'It's not helping anybody for me to stand up onstage and not look put together,' she said. 'It's just distracting.' After 16 years focusing on her husband, Shalabh, and her three children — Zoya, Brij and Veer — Ms. Garg re-entered the work force in 2019, but not to return to her erstwhile career as a personal injury lawyer. Instead, encouraged by her children, she started working the New York open-mic circuit and performing at Westside Comedy Club before headlining at Caroline's on Broadway by 2020. In 2023, she talked her way into opening for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on their Restless Leg Tour, and Prime Video aired her special 'One in a Billion.' This spring, she made her film debut in the critically acclaimed rom-com 'A Nice Indian Boy.' Her second special, 'Practical People Win,' will air on Hulu in July, and she is developing a sitcom called 'Zarna' with Mindy Kaling and Kevin Hart. Dr. Lal first met Ms. Garg at a vision board party early in her comedy career. 'I remember being like, 'Wow, this person is really manifesting some serious stuff,'' Dr. Lal said. 'I was like, 'My vision sucks compared to this lady's.'' Ms. Garg's board included Caroline's, her own comedy special and headlining with major artists — all of which she realized in quick succession. Her trajectory is all the more impressive when you take into account that she had no idea how to set up a joke before she first took the stage. 'I just showed up,' Ms. Garg recounted of her first open mic in the basement of a Mexican restaurant. 'I didn't overthink it. I was like, 'All right, let me tell you about my mother-in-law.''(Mother-in-law jokes have become a staple in her routines, but in reality, their relationship is much more nuanced. 'She's a wonderful human being who says and does things out of love that are extreme, as do I,' Ms. Garg said. 'I already know I'm going to be a horrible mother-in-law.') The audience lapped up everything this firebrand 5-foot-tall Indian auntie had to say. 'I felt a click in my head. 'Oh, maybe I can do this,'' she said. She went home and Googled 'What is a joke?' and began studying. 'No one had any plan for me, so I just kept making my own plans,' she said. In 1989, after her mother passed away when she was 14 and her father tried to arrange her marriage, Ms. Garg ran away from her pampered life in Mumbai. She spent two years couch-surfing, relying on her wit to generate good will and hospitality from relatives, friends and random acquaintances. 'Wherever I went, I made jokes, I kept things light, I kept things funny,' she said. She immigrated to America at 17, where she lived with her sister's family in Ohio and put herself through college at the University of Akron and law school at Case Western. At 22, she posted an online personal ad that ended with 'kindly include your most recent tax returns and medical records.' It caught the eye of the man who would become her husband. (According to her book, he slid into her emails with, 'Is this ridiculous ad for real?') As Mr. Garg's career as a hedge fund manager flourished in New York, she focused on their children. She extricated them from private school and got them into competitive public schools ('You don't have to feel like you have to bankrupt yourself for your kids to learn algebra,' she said.) Zoya, whose college essay about her mother appeared in The New York Times, will graduate from Stanford this June, while Brij is at Cornell and Veer is in middle school. When her husband was laid off during the Covid-19 pandemic and Ms. Garg had to find work, she did not overthink it. Why not become a famous stand-up comic? 'The big advantage of having failed in life as much as I have is that you stop being scared of it,' she said. 'I've been through so much in life that if a room full of people don't find me funny, it's really not the end of the world.' After Dr. Lal finished slathering P.R.P. on Ms. Garg's flushed face, she handed her client a mirror and a pink hand-held fan to inspect the results. Ms. Garg was immediately dazzled — but not by her reflection. 'Oh, my God, I need this fan,' she exclaimed. 'Can I take it?'
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Comedian reveals how denying an arranged marriage at 14 years old cost her relationship with her father
At just 14 years old, stand-up comedian Zarna Garg made a gutsy decision that changed the trajectory of her life. After refusing her father's arranged marriage, she left her wealthy family home in Mumbai, India, and later immigrated to America, causing her father to never speak to her again. Comedian Zarna Garg Is Not Surprised At The Late Night Hosts Meltdowns After Donald Trump's Election The stand-up comedian got deep with Fox News' Brian Kilmeade regarding her estranged relationship with her father, detailing the difficult situation on an episode of "The Brian Kilmeade Show." "My dad was like, 'Listen, if you don't want to get married, you can't live here.' He thought he would scare me into submission and I thought he would come around. See, I thought, he's riddled with grief because his wife has just died, my mom. And that he's going to come around and this is all going to be okay. We were basically in a face-off," the comedian said Thursday. Garg explained that she left home planning to room with her friends while things with her father cooled down. But what started as a fun "slumber party" eventually turned into two years of couch-surfing. Read On The Fox News App Comedian Zarna Garg Praises Usha Vance As Husband Jd's 'Secret Superpower': 'You Can't Deny' This About Her "I showed up at my friend's house and after a day, my friend's mom is like, 'You should go back.' And that's when it hit me. I was like, 'Oh my God, I have nowhere to go.' And it was almost two years of, 'Where can I go tonight?'" Although she remained in school, Garg explained how every day was a "new trauma" of trying to figure out where to sleep. "In hindsight, a lot of my comedy has its roots in those years, because a big reason people opened their doors to me was because I made them laugh. You know, I always kept things light. I tried to offer whatever value I could, you know, around the dinner table or whatever was going on," she explained to Kilmeade. '90210' Star Jennie Garth's Ex-husband Says He Felt Like He Was In An 'Arranged Marriage' After a long standoff, Garg said she eventually went "crawling back" to her father. At the time, she was trying to get an immigration visa to live with her sister in America. Kilmeade interjected, saying he could not believe Garg's father did not "cave." "Believe it, because people back home [India] are that severe. Like, I know in America it feels like a lot, but the guys back home, they're not fooling around. When they say you're going to listen to me or else, they mean it," she replied. Tim Dillon Says Rebranding Of Core American Values As 'Right-wing' Is The 'Craziest Thing' He's Ever Heard Garg got her U.S. visa in 1992 and went on to get an undergraduate degree from the University of Akron, later graduating from the Case Western University School of Law. For Garg's father, her departure from India was the final straw. She explained that he had stopped all communication with her, and became "estranged completely." Garg never spoke to her father again, and was even prohibited from attending his funeral. Despite this, the comedian continued to profess that her father was coming from a "good place." "I know it feels shocking here in America, but what he remembers is that I walked away from a guaranteed life that he was going to set up for me. He wasn't a bad guy, to be clear. He wasn't. He came from a good place. I have three siblings who were arranged. My sister was arranged and is deliriously happy and successful," Garg article source: Comedian reveals how denying an arranged marriage at 14 years old cost her relationship with her father
Time of India
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Stand-up comedian Zarna Garg opens up about struggles: ‘I escaped an arranged marriage'
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) US-based Indian stand-up comedian Zarna Garg recently took to Instagram to share a heartfelt and humorous glimpse into her life's struggles and victories while promoting her upcoming memoir, This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir, set to release on Tuesday, April 29. "I escaped an arranged marriage .' In her now-viral post, Zarna Garg candidly outlined her journey, revealing, "I escaped an arranged marriage, my wealthy father left me, I came to America, got married, had kids, began doing stand-up comedy after a late start, and failed in 18 businesses." She also touched on the darker times, including her husband's job loss and their experience with homelessness. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Cost Of Amusement Park Equipment From Mexico Might Surprise You Amusement Park Equipment | search ads Click Here Undo 'If you need a laugh, a cry…' Blending humor with courage, Zarna Garg encouraged followers to pick up her memoir, writing, 'If you need a laugh, a cry, a kick in the pants, a wake-up call, inspiration, motivation or a table weight – I've got you ." She added playfully, 'Get it for yourself, give it to your sister, throw one at your mother-in-law, order it for your colleagues, and impress them as your early good taste." 'Zarna Garg: One In a Billion' Trailer: Zarna Garg starrer 'Zarna Garg: One In a Billion' Official Trailer 'Pre-order to help me' Acknowledging the power of early support, she joked, 'Pre-order to help me and I'll FedEx you good karma points (more valuable than Chase Sapphire unless they give me a deal in which case … forget this post existed!).' Netizens react - 'Hint shockingly not my mother in law' Zarna's post was soon flooded with humorous comments from netizens. One comment read, 'Hint shockingly not my mother in law.' Another comment read, 'How did you manage to run 18 businesses in 2 years?! Mad respect!.' A third one commented, 'I just finished reading your book and it was so good. I learned so much and feel so motivated by your story. Can't wait for the world to read it.'
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Indian-origin comedian who escaped arranged marriage at 14 opens up about her success after ‘decades of failures'
Zarna Garg, an Indian-origin standup comedian based in the US, recently shared an Instagram post about her constant failures and eventual success while promoting her memoir. In her post, she shared about escaping an arranged marriage, being abandoned by her rich father, coming to America, getting married, raising children and finally starting her career as a standup comedian. She also talked about the hardships she faced on the way, including her 18 failed businesses, her husband getting laid off, and facing homelessness. 'If you need a laugh, a cry, a kick in the pants, a wake-up call, inspiration, motivation or a table weight - I've got you,' Garg wrote while sharing her story. 'How I became an overnight success (after decades of quietly failing)', Garg wrote in the first slide of the post. In the second one, she shared, '1. Escaped an arranged marriage at 14 by thinking American comic book characters don't do that. Why should I?' She then continued sharing more about her life. A post shared by Zarna Garg (@zarnagarg) 'How did you manage to run 18 businesses in 2 years?! Mad respect!' an individual posted. Another added, 'I want so many good things for you, and I don't even know you personally!' A third expressed, 'Love you and your massive achievements. You inspire us all!' A fourth wrote, 'You're awesome.' Many reacted to her post using heart or fire emojis. Last month, she made headlines after her remark sparked mixed reactions from social media users. In a podcast, she spoke about using weight loss medications to control her weight. While expressing gratitude to her supporters, she reminded her critics that she owes no explanation to anyone.
