Aisa keroge tou kon ayega returns to its roots

Comedy troupe members Azfar Ali and Ali Gul Pir talk about reunion and what they have up their sleeve

KARACHI:

Almost four years since they last performed, the improvisational comedy troupe ‘Aisa keroge tou kon ayega’ is back in town. During a conversation with The Express Tribune, founding members of the team Azfar Ali and Ali Gul Pir spoke about how the reunion took shape and what they have in store for keyed-up fans this time around.

Having gone their separate ways, all it took was a charity event to bring back the group together once again. “A few days back, we were asked to do an improvisational comedy show for a charitable organisation known as the Hope Foundation, after which we sort of decided to reform the troupe,” recalls Azfar Ali, who often serves as the moderator of the performances.

According to comedian-singer Ali Gul Pir, the catch for formally returning to improvisational comedy was a little different. He reveals, “It’s like the thrill film and television actors tend to get when they return to stage. As a stand-up comedian, improvisational comedy will always be the purest form of comedy.”



He joked that another reason why he returned was because unlike his music career, he wouldn’t have to look after the business side of things, “Luckily with Azfar being there, I can just focus on the comedy-bit and not worry about the logistics.”

Ever since the group went into extended hiatus, all of its members have been busy with their own individual careers. The original line-up which comprised Afraz Rasool, Ali Gul Pir, Azfar Ali and Saquib Sumeer is expected to return but Pir notes that they may also be performing in tandem with other comedians within the city, such as Lol Waalay-members Syed Osama and Akbar Chaudry, who also performed alongside them in their return show.

Apart from persisting with the same work ideology, they have plans to go about their efforts a little differently. “The plan is to keep doing shows on a regular basis — for instance, do bi-monthly shows to keep fans interested,” remarks Pir.

Having only performed a single show since making their comeback, the troupe is already keen on making up for lost time. Azfar Ali narrates how they’d like to take thing up a notch this time, saying, “We would like to perform in as many shows as we can and also try and take this abroad, at least as far as Dubai for now. The aim is to go international.”

Pir is hopeful that despite the amount of time that has passed, the group’s second coming will prove to be as fruitful as their first stint. “It is possible to revive the comedy culture if audiences keep on watching light-hearted shows regularly,” he says.

“You see, with improv, it is not that easy to entice audiences if they’re watching it for the first time. It takes a while to catch up with the pace of the jokes,” observes the comedian. Pir also states that in order to attract a wider range of people, the group must also try and perform in rural areas and villages that have previously remained unvisited. “We also want to perform in front of a new audience as I’m sure that they would enjoy our brand and style of comedy.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th,  2015.

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