Sravanthi Basa delivers dark laughs and raw truths in a stand-up special that’s anything but sugar-coated

Mother’s Day is a heartfelt occasion celebrated across the globe to honour the love, strength, and sacrifices of mothers. While it’s often marked with flowers, gifts, and sentimental gestures, this year in Hyderabad, one comedian is taking a refreshingly bold route — by serving up laughter with a side of raw honesty.

With Sravanthi Basa’s Strictly 18+ Kids, this Mother’s Day is getting a darkly comic twist

The first half of the show explores the mother-daughter and mother-son relationships, drawn from her own life — both as a daughter and as a mother to a Gen Alpha son. “We’ve been conditioned to treat motherhood as this sacred, noble sacrifice. But nobody talks about how exhausting it can be, or how often we’re guilt-tripped into silence,” she says. Her material challenges that pedestal with unfiltered reflections and biting humour.

The second half shifts into crowd work, where she thrives best. “Listening is everything,” Sravanthi explains. “You read the room, pick up on energy, and use those initial cues to build connection. People come expecting a show, but they end up being part of the experience.” Her improvisational crowd work is informed not just by comic timing but by observational intelligence. Having started her stand-up career in the US, performing for diverse audiences, Sravanthi was seen as an ‘exotic’ voice. “There, people were curious about my perspective. But back in India, I had to earn my laughs differently,” she admits. “I bombed when I started in Hyderabad. I was told to tone it down, make it more relatable.”

But rather than diluting her voice, she adapted her delivery. “I realised I couldn’t hand people Z. I had to walk them through A to Z — layer the dark humour, warm them up, build context. And that’s made me sharper as a performer.”

As one of the few Telugu-speaking female comedians, Sravanthi is carving out a space in an industry ripe with opportunity. And her material — especially the bits inspired by her Gen Alpha son — reflects both the chaos and charm of modern parenting.

Tickets at INR 250. May 11, 7 pm.

At The Street Comedy Club, Madhapur.

anshula.u@newindianexpress.com

@ indulgexpress