Words: Elodie Marriott

3 stars

Abby Govindan is too busy to get married. Much to her Indian family’s dismay, there’s so much to do, things she wants to achieve, and lies she wants to tell on the internet! 

You may already know Govindan as the (fake) creator of the Netflix show Emily in Paris, or maybe for riling up the soulless (but clearly not rageless) city of San Francisco? If not these, her vocal disapproval of performative interracial couples on Instagram? Accompanied by power point slide show, Govindan effectively translates her online pranks into an entertaining manifesto on the necessity to nuke Silicon Valley. 

There’s a lot of heart in Pushing 30. As the first woman in her family to have 100% choice in if and who she marries, Govindan uses her set to conduct a delicate dissection of the role and expectations of Indian women, past, present, and future. She links her success in digital rage baiting to the evilness of big tech and personalises the show by divulging confessional anecdotes with cheerful enthusiasm.

Govindan warmly connects with her audiences and Pushing 30 is as thought-provoking as it is endearing. We’re all rooting for her to evade the Forbes 30 Under 30 to prison pipeline. 

Abby Govindan: Pushing 30
Baby Grand at Pleasance Courtyard
21.35
5-30 Aug