Episodes

  • Nothing Makes Sense — Arj Barker’s Okay With That

    Nothing Makes Sense — Arj Barker’s Okay With That
    May 15 2025
    In his show, The Mind Field, Arj Barker turns grief and neuroscience into stand-up that asks the big questions — about existence, consciousness, and what we’ll probably never figure out. He joins SBS Spice host Dilpreet Kaur Taggar to talk about how the sudden loss of a friend pushed those questions to the surface, and why some jokes are best retired to a peaceful farm. Also on the table: why AI can’t touch live comedy, why cancel culture isn’t keeping him up at night, and why bread metaphors always rise to the top. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.
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    20 mins
  • Saman Shad: Sex, Shame and the Stories We Don't Tell

    Saman Shad: Sex, Shame and the Stories We Don't Tell
    May 14 2025
    We’re having sex, getting married, getting divorced — so why are we still not talking about it? Author Saman Shad joins Suhayla Sharif to talk about what happens when we finally do. Her new novel Sex Lives of Married Women lays bare the weight of being good daughters, model migrants, and women taught to want less. From 90s rom-com nostalgia to the strength of female friendships, Shad unpacks how colonialism and patriarchy have shaped how we think (or don't) about pleasure. A brave, funny, and moving conversation about intimacy, friendship, and the freedom to want. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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    25 mins
  • Yashith Fernando: From DDLJ to MJ the Musical

    Yashith Fernando: From DDLJ to MJ the Musical
    May 12 2025
    Before taking to the stage, Yashith Fernando fell in love with musical theatre the same way most South Asians have— Bollywood. Now having found his own rhythm, the Sri Lankan-Australian actor has performed for audiences Shakespeare to Smooth Criminal to the beat of his own tune. His latest role in MJ the Musical has him wielding a camera as Alejandro, but Suhayla Sharif shifts the lens on Yashith in this chat at the Sydney Lyric Theatre that lifts the curtains on being South Asian under stage lights. Listen wherever you find your podcasts.
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    12 mins
  • The Wrong Gods: When the Sacred is Shaken

    The Wrong Gods: When the Sacred is Shaken
    May 8 2025
    What do we call progress — and what do we lose when we pursue it blindly? In this episode of SBS Spice, Dilpreet Kaur Taggar speaks to the team behind The Wrong Gods — the new play by Counting and Cracking writer S. Shakthidharan, now premiering at Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre. Set in a rural Indian valley, The Wrong Gods is an intimate drama about a mother and daughter divided by belief, and a community forced to reckon with the promises and perils of modernisation. Featuring conversations with actors Nadie Kammallaweera and Radhika Mudaliyar, designer Keerthi Subramanyam, and Shakthidharan himself. Listen now on SBS Spice, wherever you get your podcasts.
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    12 mins
  • Jo Gowda: What’s So Funny About Migrating

    Jo Gowda: What’s So Funny About Migrating
    May 6 2025
    Bangalore-born comic Jo Gowda joins SBS Spice to talk about her new show Export Quality at the Sydney Comedy Festival — a sharp, funny take on the migrant experience in Australia. From navigating Brisbane’s eerie quiet to decoding how Aussies talk (and eat), Jo unpacks the layered reality of life as an outsider looking in. Offstage, she’s also raising a full-blown Aussie kid who loves Vegemite — and no, she still hasn’t made peace with it. Plus: a rapid-fire round as your favourite Bangalore dad. Listen wherever you find your podcasts.
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    14 mins
  • Cassandra Fernando: Making Labor’s Case for Re-Election

    Cassandra Fernando: Making Labor’s Case for Re-Election
    Apr 28 2025
    Labor MP Cassandra Fernando has represented the seat of Holt in Victoria since 2022. As Labor seeks a second term in government, she makes the case for her party’s record and its promises to voters. In this episode of SBS Spice, she speaks to Suhayla Sharif about Labor’s plans to tackle the cost of living crisis, HECS debt, and the national housing shortage. Fernando, who migrated from Sri Lanka as a child, also discusses the role of representation in Australian politics and the challenges of connecting with an increasingly diverse electorate.
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    22 mins
  • Kumar on being Queer, Candid and Comedy Royalty

    Kumar on being Queer, Candid and Comedy Royalty
    Apr 25 2025
    Singapore-based comedian Kumar has been pushing the boundaries of Asia's entertainment landscape for over three decades. Performing as a drag queen and comedic entertainer, his unfiltered yet effervescent humour has never bowed down to binaries and boxes. Just before taking to the stage for Sydney Comedy Festival, he sat down with Suhayla Sharif to explore how old school humour is shaping the future of being funny. Listen now on SBS Spice, wherever you find your podcasts.
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    14 mins
  • Prashasti Singh on Hindi, Anxiety and the Divine Feminine

    Prashasti Singh on Hindi, Anxiety and the Divine Feminine
    Apr 24 2025
    Stand-up comedy royalty Prashasti Singh makes her Australian debut with Divine Feminine — a show delivered entirely in Hindi (with a little Hinglish). Ahead of her performance at the Sydney Comedy Festival, she joins Dilpreet Kaur Taggar on SBS Spice to open up about language, longing, and the layered experience of connecting with desis abroad. Together, they dive into age anxiety, algorithm-induced identity crises, and the unexpected comfort of finding “your tribe” far from home. Listen now on SBS Spice, wherever you find your podcasts.
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    14 mins