Many South Asian Australians are rethinking what #home means—challenging cookie-cutter spaces that don’t reflect how they live, gather, or remember.
In architect Sonia Sarangi's (@andever_architecture ) home, tradition and modernity aren’t at odds— they’re in quiet conversation.
With a cultural brief rooted in memory: brickwork that filters light like her grandparents’ village, daybeds that invite cross-legged conversation, and kitchens designed for spice and scale— it’s not about nostalgic decoration, but embedding values.
Story and original music by Chenturan Aran (@chenturan )
#SBS #SBSSpice #SouthAsian #IndianArchitecture #Architecture #InteriorDesign #HomeLiving #Lifestyle
Refugees left behind by Australia’s now-abolished Fast Track system are still waiting — and still fighting.
For years, they’ve lived in limbo: shut out of permanent pathways, separated from family, and denied stability.
Now, with the federal election looming, they’re demanding dignity, justice, and the right to rebuild their lives.
Story by Chenturan Aran (@chenturan )
Original music by SAIEESH (@sheeshrajah ) and Chenturan Aran
Cinematography by Chenturan Aran, Jamie Gray (@jamieg.cine ), and David Lee Bogi (@leebogi )
#SBS #SBSSpice #Refugees #AusPol #FederalElection2025 #HumanRights
“For the culture” 🌶️🙏🏽
We have playwright, Chenturan Aran (@chenturan ), join us in the studios to talk about his latest theatre production, ‘Cut Chilli’, which follows the story of a #SriLankan boy adopted by a white Australian family and how told to “not care about race” has only othered him further.
A comedy, ‘Cut Chilli’ also seems to have several nods to Chen’s personal experience of growing up Sri Lankan-Tamil in Australia - including why he named it so.
But what does it take to write a story on cultural displacement in an arts landscape like Australia’s that has often tremendously shied away from facilitating these conversations?
Hosted by @dilpreettaggar - listen on SBS Spice wherever you find your podcasts or tap the link in bio.
#SBSSpice #SBS #southasian #brownboy #australia #tamil #comedy #adoption
Introducing Sarah Fitzgerald and Michelle Perera, cast for The Supposed To Be presented by Footscray Community Arts with Jewel Box Performance and RISING.
Sarah Fitzgerald is an actor, maker and activist of Anglo Indian descent, based in Naarm (Melbourne). After graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts in 2018, they have worked across theatre and screen. Their credits include SLAP. BANG. KISS. (Melbourne Theatre Company), Emilia (Arts Centre Melbourne), The Great Australian Play (Montague’s Basement) and Oh No! Satan Stole My Pineal Gland! (Melbourne Fringe). On screen, they feature in House of Whoreship (dir. Holly Bates), Alma (dir. Marina Slomp Albertini) and the feature film Ice Road 2: Vengeance (dir. Jonathan Hensleigh). Most recently, Sarah co-created and toured Hell On Earth (Thruples Therapy) and performed in and was movement director for Theys at the Hayes (Hayes Theatre Company). Sarah is a member of the MEAA and is also involved in animal and human rights activism.
Michelle Perera is a Green Room Award nominated Sri Lankan Australian actor, broadcaster, voice artist and arts advocate with over 30 years of theatre experience. Her recent credits include This is Living (Malthouse Theatre), In the Club (Theatreworks) and Julius Caesar (Melbourne Shakespeare Company).
Dates: 27, 28, 29 & 30 May — 4, 5 & 6 June 2026
Time: 6.30pm doors, 7pm performance
Location: Footscray Community Arts, Performance Space
Book your tickets today via link in our bio.
//Photos by @suzeanthonyy
Introducing Chenturan Aran, the playwright for The Supposed To Be presented by Footscray Community Arts with Jewel Box Performance and RISING.
Chenturan Aran is a Sri Lankan Tamil Australian playwright, journalist, and screenwriter. His work has been described as “terrifically sharp,” “incisively witty,” and “timely and timeless.”
His play Cut Chilli (2024) had a sold-out run at the Old Fitz Theatre, garnered five stars from The Sydney Morning Herald, and earned three NSW Premier’s Literary Awards nominations.
Known for his sharp, irreverent voice, Chenturan’s work blends dark comedy with meta-commentary to explore memory, storytelling, modern psychology, and spiritual longing.
Chenturan is an alumnus of MTC’s Cybec Electric, Malthouse Theatre’s Writers Group, and APT’s Pathways Program. He is a regular contributor to SBS Spice, and in 2023 his memoir piece “Truffled Feathers” was published in Emergence: The 30 Best New Voices with Must-Read Stories.
Dates: 27, 28, 29 & 30 May — 4, 5 & 6 June 2026
Time: 6.30pm doors, 7pm performance
Location: Footscray Community Arts, Performance Space
Book your tickets today via link in our bio.
Kaye is a Sri Lankan Tamil actor who discovers she’s not just adopted — she’s a clone. She’s been created to live out the dreams of her corporate executive original, Kavitha. But how is a clone supposed to succeed in an era where authentic identity is the hottest commodity in the arts?
When Kaye and Kavitha face off, it’s the cloned child of nowhere versus a body embalmed in migrant duty. When the spectre of their mother gets involved, reality’s boundaries collapse.
From Chenturan Aran, the three-time NSW Literary Prize-nominated writer of Cut Chilli, The Supposed To Be is a Griffin Award-nominated fever dream. A tale of generational ghosts, migrant compromises, and the dangerous chase to become who we think we are supposed to be.
Dates: 27, 28, 29 & 30 May — 4, 5 & 6 June 2026
Time: 6:30pm doors, 7pm performance
Location: Footscray Community Arts; Performance Space
ARTISTIC TEAM
Playwright: Chenturan Aran
Director: Isabella Vadiveloo
Executive Producer: Aamer Ahmed
Producer: Rachel Kamath
Cast: Sarah Fitzgerald and Michelle Perera
Stage Manager: Sophie Walter
Production Designer: Eloise Kent
Lighting Designer: Giovanna Yate Gonzalez
Sound Designer: Reuben Cumming
Composer: Hari Sivanesan
@chenturan@aqueerius___@rachelkamath@just.an_onion@mich_on_impossible@eloisekent__@reubenlloyd@the_veena_man
With thanks to @jewelboxperformances@creative.australia@creative_vic@victoriauniversity@cityofmaribyrnong
The Supposed To Be is presented by Footscray Community Arts with Jewel Box Performances and RISING.
//Photos by @suzeanthonyy
📍Jaffna, Sri Lanka
An unforgettable wedding celebration in Jaffna held by the ethereal @priyaaap & rap god/captivating @chenturan . A truely beautiful homage to the journeys that came before them, & acknowledgement of their ancestors sacrifices.
Two Tamil souls, bringing together not just their families, but cultures, stories, and people from across the world. In a time that often feels uncertain, moments like this remind us that love, heritage, and connection still have the power to unite us all ✨ Congrats to the wonderful couple!
#srilanka #jaffna #hinduwedding #tamilwedding #destinationwedding
Day in Chennai.
Featuring some vintage and antique shopping. Priya asking randoms how she should dress me at our wedding.
#Chennai
#MooreMarket
#OldMooreMarket
#TamilNadu
#IndiaTravel
