As seen at Soho Theatre earlier this year, Kolkata-born, Mumbai-based Anirban Dasgupta explores three generations of his family back to British India, the birth of his daughter and the immediate question: what world did he bring his child into? A world full of war, misinformation, disease and division? Is there hope after all? Expect personal stories, sardonic cynicism and big laughs from the smart, relatable star of his special Take It Easy and the creator of dark comedy Afsos (both on Amazon Prime). Anirban Dasgupta: Polite Provocation is brought to the Fringe by Soho Theatre in association with OML.

This is Anirban's Edinburgh debut. He is one of seven Indian comics Soho brings to the festival this year. He joins last year's Best Newcomer Urooj Ashfaq, International Emmy Award-winner Vir Das, India's most subscribed mentalist Suhani Shah, this year's Most Outstanding Show nominee at the Melbourne Comedy Awards Kanan Gill, and Rahul Subramanian and Sumukhi Suresh, also making their Edinburgh debuts. 

Anirban is a stand-up comedian and screenwriter with a distinct comedic style. He left his career as a corporate salesman, and has headlined at major comedy clubs and festivals in India and around the world. He is the first comedian from India to appear on Just For Laughs Montréal New Faces International (2022) and at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival opening night gala (2023). He also appeared in the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow, which toured across Australia. After several popular YouTube videos he released his first stand-up special Take It Easy. He co-wrote and created Afsos, released globally on Amazon Prime Video. As well as touring his latest stand-up Polite Provocation, he is writing a Bollywood film and developing an upcoming series for a major streaming service.

Venue: Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker One

Dates: 31 Jul – 25 Aug (not 12)

Time: 7.25pm

Running time: 60 mins

Tickets: (Previews) £7; Mon–Thu £12 / £13; Fri–Sun (& 5/6 Aug) £11 / £12

Ages: 16+

SOHO THEATRE is London's most vibrant producer for new theatre, comedy and cabaret. Our central London venue is established as one of UK's busiest with a buzzing bar, lively audiences and diverse year-round festival programme with a queer, punk, counter-culture flavour. In 2025 our second venue Soho Theatre Walthamstow opens. Work extends beyond our venues with a full touring programme and strong international connections with New York, Melbourne and Mumbai. Edinburgh Fringe is a huge part of our year, we present many shows and scout hundreds more and we are UK's leading presenter of Indian comedians. Our filmed comedy specials can be seen on international airlines and Soho Theatre Player. And our artist development and participation programmes are as important as the work on our stages. Soho Theatre is a charity and social enterprise, and our 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme is supported by Isobel and Michael Holland. 

SOHO THEATRE INDIA is London's leading producer of Indian comedy and works with artists of South Asian heritage from around the world. A home for South Asian theatre since the venue opened in Dean Street in 2000, Soho Theatre has been touring work to India for over a decade and has delivered the flagship Primary Playwrights programme and Soho Theatre Labs workshops there. When stand-up comedy emerged in India at around this time, Soho Theatre was quick off the mark, introducing new comedic voices to UK audiences, in London, at the Edinburgh Fringe and around the country. Soho Theatre has filmed several artists for Soho Theatre's on-demand streaming platform Soho Player, Prime Video UK and international airlines, with Soho Theatre being first choice venue for many filmed comedy specials.

In 2017 Soho Theatre presented the inaugural comedy tent at the annual Diwali on the Square festival. And since 2019 Soho Theatre has presented UK and international comedians in Mumbai in partnership with G5A and OML among others. In 2022 Soho Theatre appointed its first ever India-based Comedy Producer to bring even more Indian comedians to the UK.

Indian and South Asian work is a major feature of Soho Theatre's year-round, festival-style programme. The venue also works in partnership with larger spaces such as Eventim Apollo and the Royal Albert Hall to bring popular Indian comedians to even bigger audiences. In 2023 Soho Theatre brought five Indian and South Asian acts to the Edinburgh Fringe. One of the performers, Urooj Ashfaq, won Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, the first India-based comic to win in the award's 40-year history. Recently, in another first, one of India's most-loved comedians, Zakir Khan, who Soho Theatre regularly brings to the UK, became the first Indian artist to headline a sold-out Royal Albert Hall, and the first to perform in Hindi.

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