From a lawyer to a comedian, how did people around
you react when you switched careers?
BE A U T Y
People were surprised. Some thought it was a phase that
I would eventually get over. Others believed I had great
potential to excel in both fields. So, that was confusing.
What is the comedy scene like in Pakistan these days and
what is the scope of stand-up comedy in the country?
It has grown a lot especially in the last five years. There is
a lot of improv and stand-up happening. Social media has
helped a lot too. The future of comedy in Pakistan is very
bright In sha Allah.
YouTube was banned in Pakistan for quite a while.
How did that affect your work?
Well, it limited our audience and our earnings to a great
extent. But it’s back now so I am trying my best to catch
up.
Do you write your own routines?
Of course! Who else can be as crazy?
Making people laugh is not easy! How do you deal
with the pressure of being equally or more entertaining
than your previous work?
I usually stress out a lot but that also pushes me to get out
of my own comfort zone. I keep writing and I keep doing
not so great work in order to learn to do better.
What do you do, and encourage others to follow,
when you feel stuck creatively?
Group discussions. Talk to people. Listen to their stories.
It is ironic how comedy is used to address serious
issues. How impactful it really is?
Very impactful I believe. Humour catches my attention.
Comedy makes people laugh, but it also makes them
reconsider their perspective of social problems and their
solutions. At least that’s my opinion.
An ordinary person doesn’t take issues seriously unless
they go through it themselves. Rape and molestation,
for example, are still joked about. How do you change
such mindset?
You simply don’t joke about it yourself. You take a stand
against such mentality in your personal capacity first and
then go public with that stance.
There are several South Asian social media
personalities, particularly from the west, who have
built a strong following. Does it make the competition
difficult for those based in Pakistan?
Not really. I am not just a social media entertainer. Most
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