Tik Tok Comedy sensation Zarna Garg is one of the standout comedians on the platform that we can’t get enough of!
From lawyer to stay-at-home mom to full-time Comedian, Zara is an inspirational force for women everywhere — That no matter the circumstances in your life, it’s never too late to pursue your passions. Fresh of filming her one-hour special “One in a Billion” at Gramercy Theatre, we spoke with Zarna about her life path and career.
What was the catalyst that made you get into comedy and performing stand-up?
My teenage daughter. I was a stay-at-home mom for 16 years, trying to figure my way back into the workforce. And I couldn’t figure out what the next step was. I’m a licensed lawyer in New York, but I didn’t want to return to practicing law. I was trying to figure out what I could do that’s interesting, new, and fits my skill set. My daughter, who’s all American, born and raised in New York City, said, why don’t you do comedy? And that’s kind of how it started. I didn’t think of myself as a comedian and had never considered a career in comedy. But she worked around it to help me realize that maybe this could be the calling for me.
You immigrated to the states, pursued a career in law and now comedy, and you have three children. So how do you manage to balance it all?
Like all New Yorkers with a lot of drugs? Yeah, no. The truth is that that’s part of why I waited all these years. I was a stay-at-home mom for 16 years. When the kids were little, it was hard. I couldn’t figure it out.
So I waited until my youngest was in school, at least full-time. I’ve had to make many painful sacrifices and wait for years for things to work out.
View this post on Instagram
Where do you pull inspiration from when writing new material?
Everyday life, mostly, because my life is very full. I have three kids and a husband, I live in New York City, and it is a constant source of inspiration. And then, of course, my upbringing, being Indian, reflecting on how I was raised and why things are different for my kids. My kids don’t hold back, and they ask a million questions. But those questions lead me to self-reflect and think about how it could have been. I like to keep things in a funny space. So whatever I’m thinking about, even the new gun control laws and abortion, I make jokes about all that. In some way, I aim to educate India and America about the differences. How abortion is handled in a country with 1.4 billion people differs greatly from our standard here. So when that debate is raging here, I can’t help but think of the world I came from and what they’re doing there.
Do you find it challenging because you’re working in an area where there are a lot of internet trolls and people have differing opinions? Is that something that you experience when you release new content?
Yeah, absolutely. There are haters everywhere, and especially Indian men that are not used to watching an Indian woman doing what I do. There are many Indian male comics, so they’re okay with that. But when a woman takes up a mic and a stage and has something to say and pokes fun at them, it does not go down well, and they constantly troll me. And I thank them for the engagement.
I don’t take it so seriously because I’m not going to be stopped now. I know the burden that I carry. I’m one of the only women of my time doing this. So I’m just not going to let anybody get to me. Whoever doesn’t want to watch me can feel free to tune me out. But I am not even mean to them. I’m like, thank you so much for all your comments, good and bad. The algorithm doesn’t care.
View this post on Instagram
Was there a significant moment in your career that you felt changed its trajectory?
I think doing my headlining show at Caroline’s, which is such an iconic institution. When I went into Caroline’s to speak with a booker, I didn’t think I would be doing a show there. I went there to find out why a show labeled made in India had four male comics. I was trying to educate myself. I said to them, why would you not at least give one slot or woman out of the four? And they told me there aren’t that many female comics, and we need comedians who perform at a certain level. So as I spoke to them, they asked me, what do you do?
I said, I’m a comic, but I’m new here. I’m new to the scene, and he said, Why don’t you do it?
So many household names have started under this booker and he gave me two months to prepare for the show. So his faith in me and the fact that he saw me being able to do something like that made me think, okay, maybe I can, and then that started my journey.
And now you’re filming your first one-hour special at the Gramercy Theatre in September. How did that opportunity arise?
So I am a regular now at Comedy Cellar, another iconic place for top comics. So I think the producers producing the special had seen me and my effect on the audience. They then assessed that this could be something interesting and unique. So they reached out to me a few months ago and said, Would you be interested? So I’ve been walking a very disciplined path for the last six months, organizing all my material, and now we’re going to be shooting, but it came about because they saw me at the comedy cellar.
View this post on Instagram
What would you say if you could go back and give your younger self advice?
I will tell you this is specific to the Indian community right now. But maybe it resonates with you, too. In the world that I come from, the arts and entertainment are not considered a profession; they’re not really considered job options. If you’re lucky, it’s a side hustle. Otherwise, you do what makes money- medicine, law, accounting, whatever, all the usual stuff.
I tell you now that I have learned that not only is a lot of money in arts and entertainment, but I’ve also learned that if you love something, and you love it enough to pursue it at a high level, there is a future to be higher than anything.
So now I tell my daughter that I couldn’t have imagined saying these words five years ago. But today, knowing what I know, whatever you love to do, there could be an amazing future waiting if you decide to do it with integrity and earnestness. So that is the advice I would give to myself as I wish I had explored this kind of avenue much earlier in life.