MEET NAWAAZ

GROWING UP BROWN IN RICHMOND HILL

Nawaaz Makhanis is the creator and performer of the solo-show Bol, Brown Boy, Bol which recently premiered in Ottawa.

Name: Nawaaz Makhani. Nawaaz means prince or musician.

Currently: I am the creator and performer of a solo-show called Bol, Brown Boy, Bol, which recently premiered in Ottawa. It’s about growing up brown in Richmond Hill, dissociating from my identity due to bullying, and how the tabla helped me find my way back to myself. I am working with an amazing core team of four people to produce and tour this show in Ottawa, London and Toronto in the spring of 2026. We’re coming to Toronto this month (May 2026)! Details are at www.bolbrownboybol.ca.

Favourite colour: Crimson red.

Favourite outfit/designer: I’m loving designers that are blending traditional South Asian styles with modern, wearable, more streetwear focused clothing. Local Toronto design house Ila Fashion (@theilaverse). Great blend of Indian contemporary and street/formal wear. They are also our partners for costume design!

Favourite Bollywood star: I talk about who I was obsessed with growing up in my play Bol, Brown Boy, Bol (no spoilers, though!)...

Favourite Hollywood movies: The Matrix, Kung Fu Panda and Meet Bill.

Favourite Bollywood movie: Yeh Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Favourite TV shows: Derry Girls, The IT Crowd, Goodness Gracious Me. Shows that I can watch over and over again are The Office, Ramy, and Never Have I Ever.

Favourite songs: Some of my favourite Bollywood songs that you might hear in the play, or on our official playlist (released in March): Choli Ke Peeche (Khal Nayak), Mere Rang Mein Rangne Wali (Maine Pyaar Kiya), the original Tamma Tamma Loge.

Favourite ice cream flavour: Chocolate.

Favourite cuisine: This is not a fair question!

Favourite restaurant: Chop Chop on Dundas Street West in Toronto.

Favourite book/author: The 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shifak, and the latest book I’ve been recommending to everyone is The History of Burning by Janika Oza.

Favourite activity: Playing tabla, of course! I might have a few others, there’s too many to name.

I hang out: With my friends in Toronto, when the planets align once every six months or so.

I'm freaked out by: Dying without having completed all of my goals in life.

Tips to save the planet: Ride a bike, save the world.

In a perfect world: We’d all get along much better than now.

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