Urooj Ashfaq
OccupationComedian
AwardsBest Newcomer, Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2023

Urooj Ashfaq is a Mumbai-based comedian, writer and actor. She won the Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2023.

Early life & education

Ashfaq was born in Dubai, moving to Mumbai in Khargar at the age of 12. She has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.[1].She went to Jai Hind College, Mumbai[2]

Career

Ashfaq started performing in stand up comedy in 2016, the age of 21.[3][4] In interview she has stated that her comedy heroes include "Sarah Silverman, Bridget Christie, Josie Long, Mindy Kaling, Bill Burr, James Acaster, Stewart Lee, Norm Macdonald, [and] Aparna Nancherla."[5]

In 2017 she was a contestant and finalist on the television channel TLC's show Queens of Comedy.[6][7]

In 2023, she was part of a group of comedians brought to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by London's Soho Theatre.[8][9] Whilst there, Ashfaq won the Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards for her show Oh No!,[4] the first person of South Asian heritage to win since Arj Barker in 1997,[10][3] and the first India-based artist to ever win the award.[11] The show was Ashfaq's first experience of performing in the UK, with a run at Soho Theatre in London earlier in 2023.[12][13]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "mid-day lunchbox: Talking about the generation". Mid-day. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  2. ↑ "2".
  3. 1 2 Cristi, A. A. "Urooj Ashfaq, First India-Based Comedian In Edinburgh Comedy Awards History, Wins Best Newcomer Award". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  4. 1 2 Ryan, Anya (2023-08-29). "'I need to have a big party and show off!' Edinburgh comedy award-winners reveal what's next". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  5. ↑ "Urooj Ashfaq: Watching really good comedy makes me want to do it - EasternEye". 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  6. ↑ "Queens of Comedy review: TLC's new show is a milestone in comedy of, by and for women". Firstpost. 2017-09-30. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  7. ↑ Mishra, Vaibhavi (2020-03-30). "New age stand-up comics of India". Media India Group. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  8. ↑ Bennett, Steve. "Urooj Ashfaq: Oh No! : Reviews 2023 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  9. ↑ "Soho Theatre India". Soho Theatre. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  10. ↑ Premier. "1997 Winner - Arj Barker - Best Newcomer". Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  11. ↑ Wilson, Rebekah (2023-08-29). "Urooj Ashfaq wins Best Newcomer at Edinburgh Comedy Awards". Soho Theatre. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  12. ↑ Ferguson, Brian (26 August 2023). "British-Asian stand-up Ahir Shah wins main Edinburgh Comedy Awards prize at the Fringe - Indian comic Urooj Ashfaq wins best newcomer honour". The Scotsman. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Women, Funny (2023-08-26). "Edinburgh Award Winners 2023: Urooj Ashfaq and Ahir Shah". Funny Women. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  14. ↑ Premier. "Best Newcomers 1992 - 2023". Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.