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Video: For Vir Das and Other South Asian Comics, the Best Punchline is Life Unfolding

Actor and comedian Vir Das performing a stand-up skit in India.
Multimedia

As actor and comedian Vir Das prepares to discuss comedy and its social function with Asia Society's India Centre, we take a look at how several South Asian comics use humor to tell the stories of our lives.

November 21st by Saira Siddiqi | Comments

Video: Ai Weiwei Parodies 'Gangnam Style,' Confuses Pundits

A still from Ai Weiwei's
Arts

The world-famous Chinese artist and provocateur infuses his Gangnam Style parody with some (possibly) dark humor.

October 24th by Liz Flora | Comments

What the Web is Saying About SNL's Chinese 'Peasant Laborers'

L to R: Nasim Pedrad, Cecily Strong, and Fred Armisen in the Saturday Night Live skit
Lifestyle

A skit last weekend used fake Foxconn workers to mock melodramatic iPhone 5 criticisms — but not everyone was amused.

October 17th by Liz Flora | Comments

Gallery/Interview: Preserving Southeast Asia's Movie Palaces Through Photography

A lone viewer at the Aung Mingala Cinema in Dawei, Thanintharyi Division, Burma. (Philip Jablon)
Multimedia

Documentary photographer and researcher Philip Jablon wants to cultivate an appreciation of stand-alone theaters in Southeast Asia in the hope of stimulating preservation efforts.

August 20th by Tahiat Mahboob | Comments

Multimedia: Celebrating India, Bollywood Style

Aamir Khan in a scene from the Oscar-nominated movie 'Lagaan' (2001).
Multimedia

Bollywood has a rich history of celebrating patriotism through movies and music that highlight India. Here's a look at a few haunting classics and some foot-tapping contemporary songs that pay homage.

August 15th by Tahiat Mahboob | Comments

Interview/Gallery: Innovative New Publisher Readies India for Its Indie Comics Moment

Volumes Two and Three of 'Comix.India,' a black-and-white anthology of alternative comics launched in 2010.
Arts

Artists Bharath Murthy and Kailash Iyer are taking advantage of crowd-sourcing and up-to-the-minute publishing technology to build an Indian audience for alternative comics.

August 15th by Jeff Tompkins | Comments

Interview (and Photos): Asheer Akram on His Pakistani Cargo Truck Initiative

Arts

Pakistan's vibrant truck art culture could be getting a test drive in America, if a young artist from Kansas City is successful.

April 16th by Nadia Rasul | Comments

Interview: 'Tina's Mouth' Author Has Graphic, Novel Take on Indian American Life

Budding existentialist Tina Malhotra is the heroine of 'Tina's Mouth.'
Arts

With the publication of Tina's Mouth: An Existential Comic Diary, Indian Americans now have a graphic novel heroine to call their own.

March 28th by Jeff Tompkins | Comments

'Linsanity' on TIME Magazine's Cover (But Only in Asia)

February 27, 2012 edition covers of TIME magazine from (clockwise from top left) the United States, Europe, South Pacific and Asia.
Lifestyle

While the cover of TIME's new Asia edition features New York Knicks shooting star Jeremy Lin, the magazine's other editions focus on Kim Jong Un.

February 17th by Rebecca Chao | Comments

Interview: Bhi Bhiman on Making Roots Music for the 21st Century

Singer-songwriter Bhi Bhiman. (Matthew Washburn)
Arts

How the son of Sri Lankan immigrant parents learns to play guitar and ends up being compared to Randy Newman.

February 15th by Jeff Tompkins | Comments

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