Desi Comedy Fest Wed Jan 28 7:30pm at Punch Line San Francisco

Desi Comedy Fest is the Biggest South Asian Comedy Festival in America. Our mission is to showcase the funniest South Asian comedians from around the world & create a unique live comedy experience for the South Asian diaspora.

In collaboration with SF SketchFest, a world-class comedy festival that brings top stand-up, sketch, and improv talent to San Francisco every January, this one night Desi Comedy Fest exclusive event will be held at Punch Line Comedy Club, the city’s iconic stand-up comedy club. The show's lineup includes

- ABHAY NADKARNI: Abhay Nadkarni is a third culture comic, born in Delhi, raised in Doha and Bangalore, now navigating American absurdity with a global point of view. He was featured as a New Face at Just For Laughs in Montreal, has performed at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, and co-founded Desi Comedy Fest and The Setup, a speakeasy style comedy show in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Over 100,000 fans follow him online for silly jokes and sharp takes. His debut comedy special Brown Jesus is now streaming on Amazon Prime.

- DHAYA LAKSHMINARAYANAN: Dhaya Lakshminarayanan is an award-winning stand-up comedian, storyteller, speaker, and writer known for her sharp wit and boundary-pushing humor. A Bay Area favorite, she’s been recognized by KQED, SF Weekly, SFist, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian as one of the region’s top performers. Dhaya has opened for icons like Janeane Garofalo, Marc Maron, and Dick Gregory, performed internationally, and appeared at major festivals including Bridgetown and San Francisco Sketchfest.

- JT SINGH: JT Singh is a New York based comic who performs regularly at comedy clubs around the city.

- KARTHIK RAJ: Karthik Raj is a New York based comic who was recently featured in the 2024 Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta and the Plano Comedy Festival in Dallas in which he was selected as Best of the Fest. He has amassed 45K followers on TikTok and over 15K on Instagram.

PRIYA PURAM: Priya Puram is a sharp, high-energy comedian based in San Francisco who left engineering for stand up - a bold move driven by passion (and a desire to make less money). As a first-generation Indian American, she brings biting takes on tech, culture, and identity to the stage, earning laughs at top venues like Cobb’s, The Punchline, Cheaper Than Therapy, Don’t Tell Comedy, and SF Sketchfest.

- SAMSON KOLETKAR: Samson’s comedy is a unique fusion of his Indian upbringing, Jewish roots, and American life—delivered with wit, warmth, and quick, engaging humor. Known for his cerebral and refreshing clean style, he’s performed across the U.S., Canada, and India, and has been featured on NPR, NBC, CBS, NDTV, The Times of India, Ha’aretz, and more. He’s the co-creator of Desi Comedy Fest, founder of Comedy Oakland—winner of East Bay Express’s Best Comedy Night (2016–2025), and headliner of the Mahatma Moses Comedy Tour. Statistically improbable, culturally conflicted, and hilariously consistent, Samson brings smart laughs to every stage he hits.

URLs:
YouTube: https://go.evvnt.com/3437170-4?pid=11710
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3437170-5?pid=11710

Artists: Samson Koletkar, Abhay Nadkarni, Priya Puram, Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, JT Singh, Karthik Raj

Time: 19:30 - 21:00