Top 5 Funniest Comedians in Malaysia

We emphasize the ‘Funniest’ from our title above again because this article is really about the Top 5 Most Funny Comedians in Malaysia. 

Comedians are already living up to their titles by being funny but in this write up we present the ones that tickled us a lot that we want to share about them to share the joy and tears (of joy) they have brought us.

Here are our Top 5 Funniest Malaysian-Comedians (not in any particular order)

1. Ronny Chieng

Ronny Chieng is one of Malaysia’s International Comedian/Actor who made it to American TV Show and is now actively part of Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show’ since 2015. He started performing stand-up in 2009 after graduating with a dual degree in Law and Commerce from The University of Melbourne, Australia (a comedian with brains!). Since then, he has been on sold-out stand-up tours in Australia, Hong Kong and Canada.

In 2018, Ronny starred as Eddie Cheng in the blockbuster Warner Bros. film ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. Ronny was also in the Amazon film, ‘Bliss’ with Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek and another Warner Bros.’s Godzilla v. Kong’.
Ronny made appearances on four Australian TV specials and NBC’s ‘Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’. He also recently released his first Netflix Special, ‘Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America!’. 

Source: IMDB

2. Indi Nadarajah & Allan Perera (Yes, the duo can’t be separated!)

If you don’t know this duo, then you’re likely not a Malaysian (who likes comedy)! Even Foreigners know them for their good comedy acts that are often in sync with the current trends. Indi Nadarajah and Allan Perera are the faces of Comedy Court that started back in 1997. Indi was a drama actor while Allan was playing music in some bands, before they met in year 1991, where the skit ‘Oblong Bar with Loga and Singam’ was created.

What established their reputation in comedy (long before Comedy Court) were their debut in a full length play called ‘Quid Pro Quo’, which till today, brings laughter to audiences of many races and age groups.

Indi was born in Kuala Lumpur and studied in KL and then in Oswestry School in Shropshire, England. After finishing school, Indi joined amateur theatres in Malaysia to kick-start his career. Apart from his work on stage, he also starred in the film Setem (2009), where he was nominated as the Best Supporting Actor (Malaysia Film Festival) and featured in the Channel 4 drama Indian Summers (2015), among others.

Allan, on the other hand, has sung, acted and produced over a hundred TV and radio commercials to date. In 1990, he joined Instant Café Theatre (where he met Indi). Allan founded Giggle (M) Sdn Bhd in 2008 with the goal of being the 3600 wide global laughter movement, and was also focused on the Co-operative movement after having discovered vast untapped potential and the opportunity for mergers within the private sector. Allan has also formalized many strategic joint ventures that he now offers to selected Malaysian Cooperatives through AP Capital Ideas Sdn Bhd.

In 2002, both Indi and Allan were awarded the BOH Cameronian Arts Award for Best Acting Ensembles for their starring roles in The Actor’s Studio, Malaysia’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde.

Source: Comedy Court, AllanPerera.com, Wikipedia, IMDB.

3. Dr. Jason Leong

Former-doctor-turned-stand-up-comedian, Dr. Jason Leong believes that laughter is the best form of social protest with very powerful messages. The doctor in him is still apparent as he calls himself a man of “science, logic and rationale” and his jokes are formulated with analytical edge and diagnostic approach.

He observes, dissects and then applies his brand of humour to real world situations that might be difficult to get across sometimes without a funny veil. And he does it all proudly with all the Malaysian accent he can muster.

To Jason, the switch from medicine to stand-up comedy has been very fulfilling and interesting. Not only does he not feel like he’s working a single day, he also gets to stick it to the big guys, he says.

If stand-up comedy is the last bastion of free speech, then Dr. Jason intends to speak his mind, share his truth as a trained professional of science and get Malaysians talking about the things that matter – all with a joke thrown in between.

Source: First Classe

4. Joanna Kam

Joanne’s distinct style of direct (no filter) humour has earned her the reputation of being Malaysia’s Queen of Comedy. Successfully wearing multiple hats since starting her journey in the entertainment industry over 20 years ago, Joanne is reputedly known as a director, comedian, writer, actress, emcee and radio jockey. 

Joanne’s versatility, quick wit, coupled with her aptitude to adapt, has given her a unique ability to entertain audiences from all ages and races. Not only does she inspire women of all sizes through her statement stylings and brings herself out very confidently, she’s also a single mother, inspiring all single mothers that are working hard for their families.

The explosion of her talent on stage led to the success of Kuala Lumpur’s first cabaret club called the Boom Boom Room. Joanne also did her fair share of TV appearances in local sitcoms such as NTV7’s highly rated comedy series Kopitiam, Spanar Jaya and “Ah Girl”. She also co-hosted an episode of Six degrees of separation with Asha Gill for the Lonely planet.

Joanne was also a radio host at Mix FM, Red FM and Capital FM. In 2005, Joanne acted in Paul Loosely’s successful pantomime “Cinderella” at KLPac. In 2008, she produced her first theater cabaret musical called “KAM …..In Your Face” where she produced, co-wrote and also starred in. Since then, Joanne has been actively involved in the  entertainment scenes and to-date, is still actively performing.

Source: Joanne Kam’s website, IMDB.

5. Harith Iskander

Harith Iskander is Malaysia’s Godfather of Stand-Up Comedy that has bagged himself a few awards and recognitions namely Laugh Factory’s Funniest Person In The World 2016, Asia’s Best Stand-Up Comedian Award 2014 by Top 10 of Asia Magazine and Acknowledgment from the Finland Ambassador to Malaysia, Petri Puhakka, for Finland’s 100 years of Independence Celebration. He is indeed, quite the stand-up comedian, husband, father and multi-talented role-model.

Harith studied journalism and graduated as a Bachelor of Arts in English from Curtin University of Perth, Australia. He began his career in comedy back in1990, making him the first stand-up comedian in Malaysia. He is also a Film, TV and Stage Director, Writer, Actor and has his own late night talk show, “Obviously Harith Iskander”, available on Astro Awani and can be viewed online at www.obviouslyharith.com.

Since 1991, Harith has performed ‘live’ at close to thousands of shows and entertained close to millions of people with his unique and original materials. His comedy performance is in great demand and audiences usually go home having a more memorable night after his performances. In 2015 and 2017, he curated the biggest stand-up comedy festival in Asia, the KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL. In 2012, Harith headlined with the “Best Of Malaysia Comedy Tour” at Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

In October 2014, Harith became the first Malaysian Stand-Up Comedian to hold a show in a stadium, “Harith Iskander’s To Know Malaysia Is To Laugh Malaysia” that saw 9,000 turn ups at the Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil and by far, setting a record in the local stand-up comedy scene by being the biggest show ever in the history of stand-up comedy in Malaysia. Prior to that, Harith went on a six-nation comedy tour titled “The Godfather of Malaysian Stand-Up Comedy International Tour” where he performed in India, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and Indonesia.

Today, he has his own Netflix show, “I Told You So!” and hosts his own new online show called “What’s Going On, Malaysia?” on Youtube, featuring the latest and current trending news surrounding all things Malaysian. Harith is also named the first celebrity of Malaysia’s local online shopping platform, ‘LamboPlace’, with goals to stop online frauds while encouraging the habits of buying authentic products, as well as, supporting the locally produced products. 

As a proud Malaysian himself, Harith urges the importance of supporting local acts, shows, products, brands, companies and all other Malaysian-made, albeit, sometimes lacking a few things here and there, but we’ve improved so much and some of us are already there. Be proud, fellow Malaysians!

Source: Harith Iskander’s website