It is very clear from the get-go what things can be joked about: Akbar Chaudhry

Comedian believes that artists should have the right to talk about everything but he’d rather stay away from ‘drama’

KARACHI:

While humour doesn’t necessarily demand disparaging others, from televised roasts to impressions on social media, mainstream comedy has long thrived on laughter borne of derision and insult. But as Dave Chappelle faces the music for ridiculing transgender people, Munawar Faruqui is facing the brunt of BJP’s fascism for a joke he didn’t even crack while Vir Das is getting called out for ‘insulting India’.

In the meanwhile, comedians like Trevor Noah, Joe Rogan and Russell Peters appear invincible in spite of their heavy political satire, raising of taboo subjects and race-based comedy, respectively.

So when compared to artists channeling their wit and grit into propagating for change in an era marked by a socio-political awakening, Pakistani comics appear to be churning out stale, regressive mimicry with their unhinged inclination towards the superiority theory. Case in point, YouTubers like Saad ur Rehman and Zaid Ali T, who, in recent times, have been called out for scorning TikTokers and using women as a punchline in the name of ‘entertainment’.

But according to comedian Akbar Chaudhry, while comedy can take the hedge off taboo topics and be used as a form of resistance, entertainment for the sake of entertainment is also a noble pursuit, provided the intentions aren’t mala fide and the jokes aren’t tone-deaf and offensive.  The comedian whose mimicry of Indian politician Shashi Tharoor, inspired the latter into requesting him for another mimicry on Imran Khan, rose to fame with his imitations of hit memes and icons. His exaggerated ‘Karachi accent’ and curly hair have become his signature but even while he receives praise for his work, he explains how his sensitivities have evolved.

‘Idiots of the internet’

“I received immense appreciation for Idiots of the Internet but when I look at it now, I understand why people would think that I am mocking a certain class,” Chaudhry tells The Express Tribune. His mentioned video sees a compilation of statuses, captions and tweets – from non-English-speaking Pakistanis on social media – that make little to no sense. “But there is a distinction between making fun of someone and taking a dig at something that someone has done,” explains Chaudhry. “So personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with cracking a joke about something that is inarguably laughable,” he adds.

But Chaudhry feels his taste has evolved. “I feel there are things that I found funny five years ago that I don’t anymore. Our sensitivity and taste evolve with learning. Just ten years ago, we all were of such different mindsets. And in the profession of comedy, we need to stay up to date to understand how mindsets are evolving so we can stay relevant, so our comedy can whither the shift in time,” elaborates Chaudhry.

Comedy without a purpose

“I personally never liked political satire but I’m an advocate of self-awareness. And in a country like Pakistan, it is very clear from the get-go what things can be joked about. Just like in India, where Muslims are already being prosecuted regularly, it is not surprising why – like Munawar Faruqui – even considering joking about Hinduism can get you the short end of the stick,” says Chaudhry.

The artist, who’s also an aeronautical engineer, agrees that the term ‘woke’ has turned into a slur while the pseudo-woke and fascist individuals pressurise comedians and artists into limiting themselves to a certain style of expression. “An artist should have the right to talk about everything but personally, I’d rather stay away from drama. I believe if Chappelle’s jokes were offensive to a community, he should not have cracked those jokes either,” remarks Chaudhry, who had said in an interview last year that Chappelle was his inspiration.

But Chaudhry is also against people who criticise jokes that are genuinely not in bad taste. “I feel a comedian’s purpose is to spread happiness. If there is a message being conveyed through comedy, well and good! But that shouldn’t be the rule, it’s an exception. There should be no compulsion in that regard,” he asserts.

Giving the example of his latest standup performance, Chaudhry explains why comedy alone, is sometimes enough. “We did a show on a Tuesday night and 100 people showed up. That is unheard of in the comedy scene. But as soon as the show ended, everyone thanked us for helping them unwind. Many had come straight from their work and comedy served as an escape from their mundane 9-5 routine.”

‘Relevant’ comedy that isn’t compromised

As a comedian, knowing how to stay relevant has a lot to do with understanding one’s audience, its daily struggles, language and sensitivity.  Chaudhry has managed to inadvertently bridge gaps between the classes and masses through his connection to both via vlogs and sketches.

“Doing a morning show opened my eyes to our diversity and since I am an engineer, my brain runs on pattern recognition. Thus, I was able to pinpoint the things that are relevant to every Pakistani, with the primary being our native language,” explains the host.

Recalling advice his friend gave him, Chaudhry recollects, “He told me to take the example of film trailers, how they’ll be enticing so they can lure people in. And a lot of times, when we end up watching these films, we receive messages we did not expect the film could convey. So we just need to convey our message in a language people can familiarise with and before doing that, we need to promise them an entertainment-filled night so they’re willing to listen.”

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.