The immigrant struggle made him angry. Now comedian Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa is wondering what comes next - Los Angeles Times

Being a Sri Lankan while living in the U. K. has shaped the comedic perspective of Vidura Bandara Rajapaksa. “But only really because that is my situation,” he said. His experience as an immigrant living in a Western country felt like he was under constant scrutiny and surveillance, to the point that it affected his personality and his stand-up. Everything changed last September when he got a permanent resident card. “I can feel myself slowly unclenching,” Rajapaksa said. With his residency not being linked to a job, Rajapaksa felt like he could “f— up.” There’s no longer a weight on his shoulders. There was a sense of freedom that overtook some of his angry feelings. “I still carry all of the grumpiness from being from the old country as well. I am still technically an immigrant, but I will not be under the same pressures that I have been prior,” Rajapaksa said. “I’m curious how that will affect [my new special].”Rajapaksa will be working through that transition at Dynasty Typewriter on Friday and Saturday, where the audience can see him entering a new stage of his life. His act has long captured his immigrant experience.