Stand Up

A funny and poignant comedy about finding your voice, for anyone who has ever dreamed big, from award-winning author and screenwriter Nikesh Shukla.

Madhu is 17 and has the weight of the world on her shoulders: her dad is putting pressure on her to apply to university, she misses her estranged sister but contact is strictly forbidden, and she's pulling in every single shift possible at a pizza place to help support her family. What she really wants, though, is to be a world-famous stand-up comedian ...

Just as she's about to turn her back on this dream a YouTube clip of Madhu goes viral and she is suddenly catapulted into the bright lights of stardom. It's not long before she catches the attention of a fellow Asian comedy legend who offers her the chance of a lifetime.

But the road to comedy glory is not a barrel of laughs - and Madhu's own struggles with her family and identity soon catch up with her. Can she follow her dreams and stay true to herself and those she loves in the process?

Nikesh Shukla is the editor of British Book Award-shortlisted anthology The Good Immigrant, a collection of essays by British writers of colour about race and immigration in the UK. His debut novel, Coconut Unlimited, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and his debut YA novel, Run, Riot, was shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Award. Nikesh has written for The Guardian, Observer, Independent, Esquire, Buzzfeed, Vice and BBC2 and BBC Radio 4. Nikesh was one of Foreign Policy magazine's 100 Global Thinkers and The Bookseller's 100 most influential people in publishing in 2016 and in 2017. He is the co-founder of the literary journal, The Good Journal and The Good Literary Agency.

Madhu is 17 and has the weight of the world on her shoulders: her dad is putting pressure on her to apply to university, she misses her estranged sister but contact is strictly forbidden, and she's pulling in every single shift possible at a pizza place to help support her family. What she really wants, though, is to be a world-famous stand-up comedian ...Just as she's about to turn her back on this dream a YouTube clip of Madhu goes viral and she is suddenly catapulted into the bright lights of stardom. It's not long before she catches the attention of a fellow Asian comedy legend who offers her the chance of a lifetime. But the road to comedy glory is not a barrel of laughs - and Madhu's own struggles with her family and identity soon catch up with her. Can she follow her dreams and stay true to herself and those she loves in the process?

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