Local comedians play the Trump card

US presidential candidate mocked at ‘Muslim Comics Roast Donald Trump’

KARACHI: From the time Trump expressed his desire to run for the United States of America’s presidential elections, the business magnate has become the punch line of every comedian’s jokes. With his Republican candidacy now set in stone, it seemed only appropriate that a group of funnymen halfway across the world, in Karachi, decided to roast the controversial figure.

Titled Muslim Comics Roast Donald Trump, the event was a no holds barred affair of comedy at T2F. The panel comprising a mix of both emerging and established comics such as Ali Gul Pir, Akbar Chaudry, Jaffer Shah and Syed Osama, not only targeted the American politician but traded blows with each other.



Serving as the roast master for the night’s proceedings, Shehzad Ghias warmed up the full house with a brief audio-visual compilation of Trump’s past indiscretions. A PR nightmare for any potential presidential candidate, the video had enough content to force even the ardent Trump supporter to hold their head in disbelief.

From mocking a disabled reporter to making inappropriate comments about minorities, the video package was a pleasant precursor to what was to follow.

As all good stand-up routines go, the comics did well by adding a desi style and flair. Ridiculing Trump’s well-documented association with the white supremacist group Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Ghias remarked that contrary to popular belief, the extremist organisation was founded by Zubeda Apa.

“I remember the initial tagline for KKK [when founded by Zubeda Apa] was ‘Ab gora hoga America’.”



Notorious for making over-the-top statements throughout his election campaign the comics were never short of material when it came to the former Television personality. From poking at his desire to erect a wall between Mexico and USA to his tiny hands and his strange obsession with dating his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, the political personality was shown no remorse.

Going against the trend of speaking out against Trump, Pir chose to defend the controversial figure by providing clarity on his ludicrous statements. “Only a khandani man would say that he wants to marry his own daughter. Larki khandan mein hi rehni chahiye. Iss tarha paisa ghar mein hi rahega. (The benefit of a girl marrying within the family is that the money stays at home).”



Mocking the low budget housing scheme advertisements shown on private cable channels, Pir shared the only reason the hotelier wants to make a $25 billion wall on the US-Mexico border is because he wants to start a housing scheme named Farzana Royal City over there.

Akbar Chaudry on the other hand said that Trump was very similar to a Pakistani online sensation — Qandeel Baloch. “Both of them rose to fame by making bold controversial claims in videos. Every time you see a video link featuring them you are tempted to click on it,” Chaudry said, listing the similarities. “And for some odd reason both appear orange onscreen.”

Appearing as a lightweight amongst renowned comics such as Chaudry, Pir and Ghias, Osama’s set was one of the highlights of the evening. While his jokes related to Trump were impressive, the shots he fired towards his fellow comedians were what incited the loudest cheers of the night.



Taking aim at Pir, Osama said anyone can become a rapper nowadays by blurting out a few nonsensical rhyming words. “Ali Gul [Pir] needs to get over his first song. He is like Shahid Afridi of comedy. Pehli innings achi kheli phir baqi 20-20 run wali hain. (He played the first innings like a pro, but the rest like a 20-20 player)” he joked.

Not even sparing the roast master, Osama quipped, “Shehzad actually received threats from terrorists. Not for doing comedy but bad comedy. Even they were like, ‘Hum maar toh denge lekin kuch worthwhile toh karo’ (We will kill you but you need to do something noteworthy.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 31^st, 2016.

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