“This is what 21st-century diplomacy looks like.” From podcasts to punchlines, these South Asian voices are shaping global narratives
Diaspora Diplomacy 2.0: How South Asian Creators Are Building Influence Beyond Borders
Published by Seriously Agile Media
In 2004, global influence came from polished TV interviews, prime-time anchors, and elite publications. Today, influence is distributed, authentic, and often funny. Welcome to Diaspora Diplomacy 2.0 — where creators from the South Asian diaspora, especially millennials, are reshaping global narratives using comedy, storytelling, and digital mentorship.
These aren’t government envoys or institutional elites. They’re cultural translators, bridging the Global South and North through humor, hustle, and human stories. Among them, four stand out for how they blur the lines between entertainment, education, and global soft power: Doc Ali, Nadir Shah, Sabeen, and Yamna Irfan.
What’s most remarkable? These creators already lead successful professional lives—medicine, tech, photography, music, and media—but they choose to create content anyway. Not for clout. Not for escape. But because they love it, and because comedy has become their medium of connection, reflection, and peacebuilding.
From London to Lahore, his mic travels farther than a stethoscope ever could. Doc Ali blends medicine, mentorship, and comedy to build cross-border impact
A London-based physician and founder of Pakistan’s DAT Academy, Doc Ali (Dr. Ali Ishtiaq) is redefining mentorship for a global generation. Through his YouTube channel and sponsored podcast, he interviews professionals across industries to demystify career paths for young South Asians, especially in medicine and tech.
What makes him different? He brings humor, relatability, and hard-earned credibility. His work doesn’t just inform—it empowers. His podcast is a modern salon, where being featured has become a new form of validation and visibility, particularly for diaspora professionals looking to give back.
“In 2004, you needed CNN. In 2024, you need Doc Ali’s mic.”
“He made a cricket sketch. The world saw their marriage in it.”
🏏 Nadir Shah – The Sketch Comedian Turning Everyday Life Into Shared Laughter
Nadir Shah, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, crafts bilingual, slice-of-life comedy that resonates across generations and cultures. His most viral hits? A hilarious sketch called the “Husband vs. Wife Cricket Match” and his now-iconic “Marriage Performance Review” reel—where office-style evaluations meet married life—with over 11 million views on Instagram alone.
Nadir’s content reflects everyday South Asian life with honesty and affection. Whether he’s joking about relationships, desi habits, or life between cultures, his sketches connect because they feel real.
Now, he’s taking that voice to the stage. After a string of online hits, Nadir is currently developing a full stand up set to bring his humor to even broader audiences.
“Whether it’s the desi receptionist or a husband-wife cricket match, we all find the same things funny. That’s the point—we’re way more alike than we think.” — Nadir Shah
“From awkward aunties to identity politics—nothing is off-limits, and everything is funny.”
🎤 Sabeen – The Stand-Up Storyteller of Diaspora Identity
Pakistani-American comedian Sabeen brings wit, warmth, and sharp observation to the stand-up stage. Her comedy covers everything from growing up Muslim in the U.S. to family pressure, racism, and the oddities of being first-gen. It’s personal, political, and powerfully funny.
Sabeen’s work creates cultural permission slips. She makes it okay to ask questions, embrace complexity, and laugh through the contradictions. She’s not seeking assimilation; she’s claiming space.
And like Nadir, she’s also unknowingly mentoring a generation. For many young fans, seeing her on stage or online leads to an instant thought: “I want to do what she does.”
“Sabeen’s comedy isn’t just funny—it’s frictionless diplomacy.”
One parody at a time, she’s helping us laugh at what we all pretend not to be.” Doctor Saira. Yamna Baji. And every auntie in between
🎭 Yamna Irfan – The Parody Artist Holding Up a Mirror
Yamna Irfan, based in Chicago, is a photographer, singer, and comedian best known for her brilliant character parodies—especially the infamous “Doctor Saira,” a hilarious, pitch-perfect sendup of the overly polished, class-conscious desi diaspora mom.
Yamna’s sketches are theatrical, layered, and emotionally spot-on. From dramatic doctor family conversations to the hyper-competitive world of desi high achievers, her work feels all too familiar—but never mean-spirited. Her parodies are a mix of satire and affection, and they reflect a deep understanding of identity performance in upper-middle-class South Asian homes.
And let’s not forget Yamna Baji—the iconic older cousin character who gets roasted by every little kid in the room. Whether she’s flexing on her siblings or losing chill over chai, Yamna Baji lives in every desi family—and fans across continents know it.
“I use comedy to show how similar we are, even when we’re trying so hard to be different. It’s satire, but it’s love too.”
📈 The Bridge Generation: Millennial Creators as Influence Architects
While Gen Z may be the most digitally native generation, it’s creators like Doc Ali, Nadir, Sabeen, and Yamna—all in their 30s and 40s—who are shaping the playing field. They’re the Bridge Generation: fluent in analog and digital, East and West, institutional and grassroots.
They aren’t just building audiences. They’re building global trust, economic mobility, and cultural fluency. In doing so, they’re replacing gatekeepers with guides and making room for new narratives.
We have foreign relations experts in government—but the average person can’t access them. Most people will never attend a policy forum or read a white paper. That’s where creators like Doc Ali, Nadir, Sabeen, and Yamna come in: they’re the bridge to modern diplomacy. Through comedy, storytelling, and deeply human insight, they reach people across borders and belief systems.
These four are wildly different—a doctor in London, a sketch artist in San Francisco, a stand-up comic in New York, and a parody queen in Chicago—but they all share one superpower: they can make you laugh, no matter where you’re from. That’s the soft power the world actually listens to.
Why This Matters
In a fragmented, algorithm-driven world, humor and storytelling have quietly become the most effective tools of diplomacy. These creators remind us that influence isn’t earned in boardrooms or ballots anymore—it’s built in podcast episodes, punchlines, parodies, and perfectly timed Reels.
They already have careers. They didn’t need to become creators—but they did, because they care. They show up with sincerity, with laughter, and with the kind of insight that builds empathy. And that’s exactly why young people trust them.
At Seriously Agile Media, we believe this is diplomacy at its most human—led not by titles, but by trust.
“The future of diplomacy is already here. It’s just wrapped in a punchline—and your favorite comedian or creator might be the best resource.” — Shabir Mustehsan, Founder, Seriously Agile Media
