Highlights
- Amna Bakhtiar became Amna Bee when she took to standup comedy after coming to Australia.
- She rebelled against her conservative Pakistani family by going overseas to study and marrying an Indian whom she later divorced.
- Amna will perform at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, her show is titled Dont Tell My Family.
Amna Bakhtiar was born in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, not too far from the country’s tribal areas and the Pak-Afghan border, considered amongst the most conservative parts of the region.
But Amna was a rebel and could not live with the norms of a conservative culture.
Now, she is all set to tickle audiences at the upcoming Melbourne International Comedy Festival starting 24 March.
“I will share my tales of activism, politics, marriage, divorce, dating, and general survival as a person whose opinions don't always match her physical appearance,” she says.
She told SBS Urdu that she did everything that her relatives and the community could not even think of.
“That includes, but is not limited to, a marriage of my own choice, that too, with an Indian; traveling alone in the bushland, becoming a vegan, divorcing my husband, and last but not the least, doing standup comedy in front of strangers while wearing western clothes, are a few rebel acts to boot," she says unapologetically.
Why 'Don't Tell My Family'?
'I am not sure what shocks my community and family more,' wonders Amna. Source: Amna Bee
Amna felt many South Asians would be able to relate to this phrase.
“Because of social taboos and expectations in our culture, we tend to not share everything with our families because we don't want to hurt, shock, or upset them. Also, nobody wants to be constantly lectured by their family! My own life has been one adventure after another, doing things that are quite unusual for a woman from my background. Hence the title 'Don't Tell My Family’ fits my story,” she explains.
“Instead of a decent Muslim man as my partner, I prefer a regular, emotionally-unavailable d***head,” Amna adds in her quirky style.
Recalling her younger days in Pakistan, she says her academic life was full of extracurricular activities. But when it came to studying abroad, it took her one year to convince her family.
The buzz around Amna Bee
Amna (R) with brother and mother Source: Amna Bee
Amna Bakhtiar became Amna Bee when she grew the sting of comedy and began to buzz around at standup shows.
“I am not sure what shocks my community and family more: that I married an Indian or that I went on to divorce him,” she laughs.
Amna and her ex-husband initiated their migration from Canada to Australia together but due to their divorce, she landed alone in Melbourne in 2015.
She traveled to Alice Springs in 2017 where she spent a year. It was here that her friends identified a spark of comedy in her from the punch lines in her conversation.
Amna in the Australian outback during her solo road trip Source: Amna Bee
Amna put up her first standup comedy act in Alice Springs followed by a solo road trip of the Australian bushland and countryside through South Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria, and New South Wales.
"People are very friendly and country towns such as Alice Springs are magical," says Amna.
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