India, June 11 -- When I first heard about comedian Zarna Garg - she was born in a rich family with servants, drivers, cooks, nice cars and air conditioning - being homeless on the streets of India, I was perplexed. I wondered what circumstances could cause a person born in a family that lived very well indeed end up in such dire straits. But we'll come to that soon enough.

This American Woman opens with Garg sharing her experience of being the opening stand-up act for Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. She is ecstatic. It was at this moment that she knew she had arrived. She takes us back to her younger days when her father, TJ Mehta, a rich Gujarati businessman, was insisting that she get married early. Having lost her mother to an illness, Zar...