Hailing from Newcastle-on-Tyne in the UK, Raul Kohli is a British Hindu comedian who hosts a podcast and has studied Hindu scripture, yoga, and meditation all of which out in his comedy show A British Hindu’s Guide to the Universe.
The show is a mix of philosophy, his personal life odyssey and a good dose of sexual innuendo. He shares the things he’s learned over time from various people including his mother who claimed three main tenets of Hinduism were: don’t eat beef, allow your parents to arrange your marriage, and we all get reincarnated.
Kohli seems to relish using his time on stage for a bit of personal therapy – sure there are observations about life, but he shares a great deal of his struggles with identity, his place in the world and his possible addictions. One of the biggest challenges for him has been growing up in a Western country and trying to reconcile that with his Indian heritage. It’s clearly left some scars.
He made some great and witty observations and he is a charming and passionate person, but after a while the show lost its comic edge. He delved deeper into his existential issues by sharing perhaps too many personal anecdotes that after a while became a little repetitive. He also went 20 minutes overtime trying to cram in as many other illustrative observation as possible. As I say he is charming and is capable of some very witty comedy, but I think this show needed some pretty heavy editing.
RAUL KOHLI: A BRITISH HINDU’S GUIDE TO THE UNIVERSE
6-8 May 2025
Basement Theatre, Auckland
