A POPULAR Bradford comedian has spoken of overcoming trauma and nearly losing his life as he looks ahead to being on the big screen.

Tehseen Jay, creator of viral hit The Nana G Show, was recently involved in a major car accident – for the second time this year – and has faced a tough 12 months as he continues to pursue his passion.

He has also spoken of his mental health struggles, adding that the topic needs to be spoken about more, particularly in the South Asian community.

Tehseen, from Heaton, created The Nana G show – which uses puppets who speak Pahari-Pothwari – to promote what he sees as a dying dialect.

READ MORE: Bradford comedian and viral sensation launches new book on Pothwari

He will see his production Gobi Express – co-written by Abdullah Afzal, of Citizen Khan fame – shown at Reel Cinema in Rochdale as part of AJK (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) Film Festival on November 28.

Tehseen, 37, pulled no punches when addressing his recent struggles.

“It feels like time isn’t on my side. I don’t know how I survived the crash,” he said.

“With the first accident, I was driving with my family. A car went through a red light, straight into us, then into a wall.

“There were no major injuries, but it was traumatising, especially for my two young nephews.”

A lorry also went into the back of Tehseen recently, he said, and he also claims to have been attacked by a relative in his own home while his young child slept upstairs.

“It’s been horrible, but through everything, I’m doing whatever I can and working hard for my family,” he said.

Tehseen remains defiant and spoke of his excitement ahead of this month’s Gobi Express screening.

“It’s massive. To be on the big screen was my dream from day one. It’s one of the more positive things this year,” he said.

As part of The Great Muslim Pantomime, organised by Penny Appeal to raise money for victims of the Pakistan floods, Tehseen will also star in Cinder’Aliyah – a satirical, South Asian take on Cinderella, created by Afzal – through December and January.

“Abdullah is a friend and I’m really excited to work with him again,” Tehseen said.

Tehseen is also planning to create a Desi take on Netflix’s Money Heist, and is calling on local artists, businesses and sponsors to get involved.

To contact Tehseen, email nanagshow@gmail.com.

Cinder’Aliyah will be performed in Bradford, with the venue to be confirmed, on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January 2023. More information can be found here.