Curtain call : Don’t laugh … he’s serious!
Comedian Faheem Azam to perform first solo stand-up show in Karachi
‘Don’t Laugh! I’m Serious’ will be held at The Second Floor (T2F) on Friday. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
KARACHI:
If you are familiar with the theatre and comedy circuit in Islamabad, you must have heard about Faheem Azam. A mainstay in theatre for the past eight years, Azam has become a well-known face, thanks to a vast body of work which includes plays like Buhat Nazuk Surat-e-Haal Hai and Laakhon Mein Teen. This Friday, he’s set to make his solo debut as a standup comedian in Karachi, with a show called ‘Don’t Laugh! I’m Serious!’
After writing and performing for almost a decade, Azam decided to venture into standup comedy last year and has done about 20 shows, including a few solos, since then. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the 35-year-old performer shared his journey into comedy and theatre. “I have a Computer Science background so up until a decade ago, I never expected to find myself doing theatre or comedy,” confessed Azam.
The comedy scene in Karachi has been bursting with established as well as new performers and last year, Azam got his opportunity. “It’s interesting because there are comedy troupes here that help you get an audience. I got in touch with LOL Waalay and we started from there,” he said. “I did a few shows with them. Following that, we did Comedy Scene and now there are a few others like Fitna, Fasaad aur Muhabbat and Auratnaak, which is an all-women troupe.”
Asked about his transition from theatre to standup comedy, Azam stated, “It was not as much of a transition per se. I also performed theatre, besides writing. But I think I enjoy standup comedy because it’s more personal. You don’t have to be indirect and can just say what you feel.”
Azam mostly sticks to talking about behaviours and society. “Initially, when I started out, I just wanted to make people laugh. As I matured, I tried to put in some deeper meaning and more personal experiences,” he said. “Standup comedy is quite personal. I also find it interesting to talk about the behaviour of different people in the society. In a way, I think I also point out the hypocrisy of our society.”
According to Azam, standup is the new voice for the people and he is quite confident about the future of this particular kind of comedy. “I think the future looks bright for today’s standup performers. They are the same people who are going to transition into films and the mass media in the coming years. They are going to be a big part of the industry.”
As to what he thinks of family-friendly comedy and edgy content, Azam confessed he prefers to keep it family-friendly. “I mean, I have a certain type of audience that comes to my shows so they have a certain image of me. I would like to keep it that way as family-friendly comedy helps cater to a larger audience.” Finally, asked why people should watch his show, the comedian said that people should come because we are trying to change the mood and style of comedy done in Karachi.
‘Don’t Laugh! I’m Serious’ will be held at The Second Floor (T2F) at 8pm on Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2016.
If you are familiar with the theatre and comedy circuit in Islamabad, you must have heard about Faheem Azam. A mainstay in theatre for the past eight years, Azam has become a well-known face, thanks to a vast body of work which includes plays like Buhat Nazuk Surat-e-Haal Hai and Laakhon Mein Teen. This Friday, he’s set to make his solo debut as a standup comedian in Karachi, with a show called ‘Don’t Laugh! I’m Serious!’
After writing and performing for almost a decade, Azam decided to venture into standup comedy last year and has done about 20 shows, including a few solos, since then. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the 35-year-old performer shared his journey into comedy and theatre. “I have a Computer Science background so up until a decade ago, I never expected to find myself doing theatre or comedy,” confessed Azam.
The comedy scene in Karachi has been bursting with established as well as new performers and last year, Azam got his opportunity. “It’s interesting because there are comedy troupes here that help you get an audience. I got in touch with LOL Waalay and we started from there,” he said. “I did a few shows with them. Following that, we did Comedy Scene and now there are a few others like Fitna, Fasaad aur Muhabbat and Auratnaak, which is an all-women troupe.”
Asked about his transition from theatre to standup comedy, Azam stated, “It was not as much of a transition per se. I also performed theatre, besides writing. But I think I enjoy standup comedy because it’s more personal. You don’t have to be indirect and can just say what you feel.”
Azam mostly sticks to talking about behaviours and society. “Initially, when I started out, I just wanted to make people laugh. As I matured, I tried to put in some deeper meaning and more personal experiences,” he said. “Standup comedy is quite personal. I also find it interesting to talk about the behaviour of different people in the society. In a way, I think I also point out the hypocrisy of our society.”
According to Azam, standup is the new voice for the people and he is quite confident about the future of this particular kind of comedy. “I think the future looks bright for today’s standup performers. They are the same people who are going to transition into films and the mass media in the coming years. They are going to be a big part of the industry.”
As to what he thinks of family-friendly comedy and edgy content, Azam confessed he prefers to keep it family-friendly. “I mean, I have a certain type of audience that comes to my shows so they have a certain image of me. I would like to keep it that way as family-friendly comedy helps cater to a larger audience.” Finally, asked why people should watch his show, the comedian said that people should come because we are trying to change the mood and style of comedy done in Karachi.
‘Don’t Laugh! I’m Serious’ will be held at The Second Floor (T2F) at 8pm on Friday.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2016.