Australian comedian and filmmaker Neel Kolhatkar is back with his new show ‘Dirty Flirty 30′ at Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025 after a five-year hiatus (from the fest, not comedy).
As long-time fans, my sister (my plus one) and I were keen to see how turning 30 has shaped Neel’s comedy. We grew up laughing at his Youtube videos, and being from similar multicultural communities, we resonated with his characters and experiences. He’s the comedic voice of our generation – and of the multicultural, suburban Australia we grew up in. Our expectations were high… and Neel absolutely delivered!
The show opened with a short set from Nathan Chin, a Chinese-Australian comedian who is performing as part of the Comedy Zone show. While unexpected, Nathan won the crowd over quickly with his observational comedy and multicultural humour. His comedic style complemented Neel’s main act.
The upstairs space at The Hof, a relaxed German bar in Chinatown, was packed for a Wednesday night. It was great to see Neel has maintained a strong fan base over his 15 years in comedy.
While ‘Dirty Flirty 30’ didn’t focus too much on turning 30, the show felt like Neel’s updated takes on society, culture and history. It featured Neel’s iconic observational jokes – but from a slightly more mature lens. And a lot of silly jokes, impressions, crowd work and one-liners, of course.
The show speaks particularly to the experience of younger millennials. As Neel put it, those who are ‘far too woke for boomers but not woke enough for Gen Z’. There was a shout-out to short kings, the word sapiosexual, and a hilarious impression of a historic dictator performing fellatio.
He also talked about relationships, dating, male friendships and being in love. What I wasn’t expecting was the numerous historical references. Neel has a talent for highlighting the humour of everyday life and modern society, and history added another layer of depth to the absurdity of humanity. He also detailed with intriguing examples how taboo topics evolve in culture… until they’re eventually used in marketing.
Neel isn’t afraid to take on taboo or controversial issues and explores dark humour in a laugh-out-loud way. Although, sometimes the laughs were the mouth-covering ‘I can’t believe I’m laughing at this’ kind. Still, his social awareness and self-awareness is clear. His dark humour was often through parodies, and his spot-on character impressions are done with love. It really reminds me of the kind of silly jokes my friends and family make about ourselves.
Neel was also a natural with his crowd work. On this night, he may have held back a bit on the roasting. Probably a thoughtful decision as the audience was a quieter bunch, but we were all constantly laughing.
I’ve seen Neel perform stand-up a few times in the past decade and appreciate that he always takes the time to thank and chat with audience members at the end of the show.
All in all, I loved ‘Dirty Flirty 30’! I came in with high hopes and walked out with sore abs and a sister in stitches.
After 15 years, Neel Kolhatkar has truly grown up in the comedy spotlight and matured as a performer, but attending his show still feels like hanging out with a friend who’ll do anything to make the group laugh.
Rating: 5/5 stars ★★★★★
– Maria
Maria Konidaris is a freelance writer and casual tour guide living between Melbourne and Greece. When she’s not getting emotional during comedy shows and arts events, she can be found gallivanting around city libraries or dodging winter on a Greek island beach. @maria_konidaris
Neel Kolhatkar: Dirty Flirty 30 runs Wed-Sun from 26 March-20 April 2025 at Höfbrauhaus. Book tickets now.
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