SBS Spice

Diwali brought more than light into Ananya Anand’s life – it brought love. During Melbourne’s lockdown in 2020, Ananya found herself unexpectedly staying longer, discovering a connection that led to her now-husband. Since then, she’s blended her traditions with new ones, celebrating Diwali with fusion dishes like butter chicken pies and paneer tikka tacos. Listen in as Ananya shares her story of l...

Romesh Ranganathan never quite planned on swapping math lessons for stand-up, but over a decade later, the Sri Lankan-British comedian has become a global sensation. With success, however, came the challenge of representing his community, and Romesh quickly realised the weight of every joke. In this episode of SBS Spice, host Suhayla Sharif dives into Romesh's rise from school teacher to one of th...

In this episode of SBS Spice, host Dilpreet chats with Dhee, the voice behind Tamil cinema's viral hit 'Rowdy Baby' and the iconic 'Enjoy Enjaami', now making waves with her own independent music. Born to a Sri Lankan father and an Indian mother and raised in Western Sydney, Dhee’s latest single, 'I Wear My Roots Like a Medal', is an anthem of self-discovery, blending her cross-cultural experience...

The ever-hilarious Dilruk Jayasinha joins Dilpreet Kaur Taggar for a chat about his journey on SBS’s latest show, Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey. In this fresh new series, Dilruk heads back to Sri Lanka, reconnecting with family, revisiting his childhood stomping grounds, and peeling back the layers of his cultural identity for Australian audiences. When asked how he thinks viewers will react, Di...

Shankari Chandran has always turned to storytelling for refuge. Now, with four novels and the 2023 Miles Franklin Literary Award to her name, the Tamil-Australian author has claimed her place in Australia’s literary world—but it wasn’t without a fight. Once dismissed for her work not being 'Australian enough,' Shankari now calls for a reckoning, demanding a reimagining of Australia’s narrative—one...

Qais Essar is hailed as a master of Afghanistan's national instrument, the Rabab. With a rich history spanning over 2,500 years, the Rabab has endured periods of silence, but Qais believes it is at its quietest today. How does an ancient instrument find its place in today’s world? In this episode, Qais joins SBS Spice host Suhayla Sharif from Northern Arizona to explore the art of blending the con...

A luminary in contemporary Indian music, Prateek Kuhad is distinguished for his deeply personal and evocative soundscapes. Crafting music that feels like an intimate conversation, his niche but devoted fan base weaves a global tapestry. Often hailed as India’s biggest sonic export in recent years, Prateek joins Dilpreet in our Sydney studios amidst his Australian tour to explore why he continues t...

Can you find your way back to someone you love after being apart for years? Set between India and Australia, SBS’s new original series 'Four Years Later' explores this dilemma in its eight-part journey, premiering on SBS on Demand on 2 October. Dilpreet from SBS Spice visits the set to speak with writer Mithila Gupta and lead actors Shahana Goswami and Akshay Ajit Singh, uncovering the intricacies...

Set in 16th century India, as the Taj Mahal is about to be unveiled after years of meticulous construction, two best friends stand guard at dawn and face an unimaginable task. This is the gripping premise of Guards at the Taj, directed by Bali Padda and written by Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Rajiv Joseph. Yet, at the heart of the play is neither the monument nor the era, but a profound fri...

As we were baking banana bread and trying dalgona coffee during COVID, our guest was making music videos out of her garage. Rooted in her Indian heritage and Australian upbringing, Melbourne-based singer and songwriter, ASHWARYA, flourishes in the rich blend of her dual identity. She joins Suhayla Sharif as we explore not just the unboxing of South Asian talent, but also the urgency of breaking th...

Discovering a mislabeled book in a Broken Hill mosque set our guest on a path to unearth cultural encounters between South Asian and Aboriginal communities in the 19th-century Australia, culminating in her groundbreaking debut monograph, 'Australianama'. Dhaka-born, Australia-bred feminist and cultural historian, Dr Samia Khatun focuses on the experiences of colonised peoples across the British Em...

Anasuya Sengupta made history as the first Indian actor to snag the Best Actor award at Cannes. But she doesn't see it as her personal win: "It's a win for all of us," she says. Anasuya's heart never left acting, even during her years as a production designer. So when Bulgarian director Konstantin Bojanov came calling with 'The Shameless,' she didn't waste any time. Join host Dilpreet as Anasuya d...

It’s not often that you come across someone who goes against the wind with such flair that a culture shift is bound to happen. Our guest for this episode, Megha Kapoor, is exactly that kind of a groundbreaker. An editor, stylist, writer, creative director, and former Head of Editorial Content at Vogue India, Megha sits down with SBS Spice to talk about her foray into fashion, her fervent belief in...

Musicals have opened up a new realm of expression for theatre enthusiasts, showcasing that South Asian talent on stage goes far beyond the Bollywood song sequences often associated with them. Vidya Makan, starring as Eliza Hamilton in the 2024 season of HAMILTON, Australia, exemplifies this diversity by adding her own Desi spin to the character. But, what does that look like? SBS Spice visits the...

23-year-old Yusuf Chothia is set to go for gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, representing Australia in the men’s 51kg boxing division, and the only South Asian person to do so. Born in South Africa and based in Perth, Western Australia, the three-time national champion carries the legacy of his Indian ancestors close to him. Hosted by Suhayla Sharif, the gloves are off for this chat as Yusuf unrave...

Priya Sharma didn't realise how far her Hindi content would travel when she first tried it. "My Hindi is a bit childlike," she shares. Having a mother tongue that is not widely spoken outside of a small, intimate circle is a common thread among children of the diaspora. But it was embracing this exact aspect of her identity that inspired her to dream of a life beyond the binaries of a 9-5 job or a...

Thousands of Sri Lankan children were adopted illegally between the 1960s and 1980s, leaving many inter-country and inter-racial adoptees grappling with lost identities. Sri Lankan-Australian playwright, Chenturan Aran, uses dark humor to explore this painful history in his new production, 'Cut Chilli'. But how does one craft such a story in Australia, a country with its own history of stolen gene...

Nick Sharma and Carrie Ou Yeung met online, fell in love, and now create digital content together, making the internet both the heart of their love story and their workplace. Nick, who is Indian, and Carrie, from Hong Kong, navigate their relationship under the ever-watchful eyes of the Asian diaspora, both online and offline. But how does one continue to love amidst constant commentary topped wit...

Indian films deeply influence the South Asian diaspora. We know now that an 'Appu' is undoable or a 'Raj Koothrapali' insufferable but even a lovable brown character is also laced with flaws. Where do we draw the line or should we even bother? SBS Spice's Dilpreet explores the complexities of migration and the power of films in enriching these narratives with one of India's most renowned film crit...

For centuries, dance has defined storytelling for South Asians. Emerging dancers in Australia continue to straddle two worlds while defying social expectations of gender and sensuality. SBS Spice's Suhayla Sharif invites Sivamsan Senthilvasan, Shyamla, and Anjana Chandran to explore how one body can hold multiple cultures and transcend borders.

Officially known as a mentalist, Suhani Shah is arguably one of modern India's most popular mind readers and magicians. Extensively covered and followed, SBS Spice hosts her virtually from India to explore what lies behind the ancient artform - especially given the digital world's consumption. But when something is done over and over again, how does the magic stay?

From packing food hampers to going on the road to regional areas, Amar Singh and the team at Turbans 4 Australia provide aid relief to people going through a crisis and communities recovering from natural disasters. SBS Spice visits Amar Singh at his warehouse in Sydney to see firsthand a Sunday relief drive run by the volunteers for a couple of hundred people in need. In a world where scarcity ca...

Sid Sriram has had a career that's spanned across countries, languages, and industries, yet it's his deeply grounded roots in his own identity that has made him a globally renowned artist. From his independent work where he walks listeners through his journey to his playback tracks in Indian films that make you feel at home, Sid continuously traverses two worlds. It's long time coming to shatter t...

Chancing upon his great grandfather’s letters in a shoebox while on a visit to Sri Lanka gave life to Shakthidharan's highly acclaimed theatre production, Counting and Cracking, which follows a Sri Lankan-Australian family over four generations. Growing up in Western Sydney after his family left Sri Lanka, he says his mother barely spoke to him about the war that had broken her heart. And so, his...

From singing Kirtan at her local Gurdwara to being in a girl band, hosting on radio, and entertaining with parody Bollywood songs online, Punjabi-Australian artist Avneesha Martins has never stopped dreaming. A strong believer in the mantra 'what's meant to happen, will happen,' she gets deep into what keeps her going, even when the algorithm isn't always our friend.