Spoofing society

Two of the funniest satire shows to have been produced in Pakistan include “Fifty Fifty” and “VJ”. While the two were made in the 1980s and 1990s respectively, they accurately made fun of and highlighted the idiosyncrasies that are part of Pakistani culture.

While no one has been able to replace shows such as these, a slew of new videos have been doing the rounds online.

One of the funniest videos is “Lahore Episode 1: The Atif Abduction” which has been made by Naked Tyrant Productions. The episode, which spoofs the crime show “CSI”, shows a lazy policeman and an accented Pakistani agent at an Atif Aslam concert. The two receive news the next day that Aslam has been kidnapped and are determined to find him. What follows is a series of absurdities which aims to show how Pakistani authorities act in such situations. Our detective duo is not the smartest of the bunch and draw absurd conclusions as to how Aslam was abducted and by whom. Their informant is killed because of their carelessness and the killers go free because of the lack of response.

A distinct comparison is drawn between the skilled crime solving forensic detectives you see on television and the unskilled, untrained and lazy detectives in this particular clip who are more interested in eating ice cream and dancing to Atif Aslam’s songs than finding him.

A number of videos have been posted on Facebook and YouTube by Tabish Ahmed Hashmi that poke fun at telemarketing. One video shows a young man with a squeaky, effeminate voice who is suffering because everyone makes fun of him, but then he sees a telebrand advertisement that will make him ‘mard ka bacha’. He takes two capsules and develops a deep, manly voice.

Another clip by Hassaan Bin Shaheen describes the perils of being overweight and shows a boy who was made fun of because he was fat. However, telebrands advertised ‘mota hua patla’ which changed his life.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2010.