蜜芽传媒

Once a homeless teen in Mumbai, now Zarna Garg鈥檚 a top comedian, touring with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

Zarna Garg was in her 40s living in New York City when she went to an open mic night for the very first time. Before that, she鈥檇 never even heard of stand up comedy and was only there, resentfully, at the insistence of her children who were convinced their mother would be a success. The kids were right, and Zarna 鈥� who was desperate for a new career 鈥� found her calling in comedy.

Zarna has spent her whole life reinventing herself. Born in Mumbai to a wealthy Indian family, she was kicked out by her controlling father when she refused an arranged marriage. At the time, Zarna was a teenager and grieving the sudden death of her mother to illness.

Overnight, Zarna became homeless, relying on the kindness of friends for a place to stay. After more than a year of instability, she succumbed to her father鈥檚 demands and agreed to be married. But just before the wedding, Zarna received a visa and arrived in the US 鈥� in pursuit of happiness and love, on her own terms.

She supported herself through law school, became an unwitting pioneer of online dating, and raised a family. But decades later, Zarna was spiralling and rethinking all her life choices. Describing herself as a 鈥渕anic, deranged Manhattan housewife,鈥� she began various business ventures that 鈥渇ailed spectacularly.鈥� When Zarna was ridiculed at a fancy dinner party by other guests 鈥� her husband came to her defence, declaring to the room, 鈥渙ne day you鈥檙e going to find your thing and you鈥檙e going to become unstoppable.鈥�

It was this crisis that led Zarna to become a stand up comic. After her clips started going viral online, Zarna caught the attention of some of the biggest stars of the entertainment world, and even got her own comedy special on TV. Zarna has written a book about her experiences called This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir.

Presenter: Mobeen Azhar
Producer: Maryam Maruf and Helen Fitzhenry

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Zarna Garg as a toddler with her mother; Zarna with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler; Zarna on her wedding day. Credit: Courtesy of Zarna Garg)