Iqra University students tickle funny bones with two evenings of comedy skits
The event has helped students improve their marketing and communication skills.
A parody of the show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ being performed during the ‘Komedy Drama Kombat’ organised on Sunday at Iqra University. Here, a student playing the show’s host, Amitabh Bachchan, asks the contenstant, the infamous ‘wadera’ from Ali Gul Pir’s viral song, a question. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
At Iqra University, trying to imitate Pakistani starlets’ unique hybrid of English and Punjabi is all part of the process to improve communication and marketing skills.
On Saturday and Sunday, an event titled ‘Komedy Drama Kombat’ was held at the institution in which funny accents and botched sentences were used in skits to elicit giggles. A total of 170 students participated as either performers or members of the production team. Among the hilarious performances was a parody of Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ in which students impersonating famous Pakistani personalities, including Meera and Ali Gul Pir’s infamous ‘wadera’, turned up as contestants. There were also performances in which students mimicked Pakistani comedian Omar Sharif’s routine. But it was the original skits that left the audience in stitches.
Prof. Rosy Tanveer Malik, an assistant professor at the university, told The Express Tribune that the event was part of an academic project undertaken by business administration students to prove their abilities in public relations and oral communication. Not only did they have to organise the event but also perform for a very large crowd.
Prof. Malik said the event was a valuable learning experience for students as they had to work hard to promote it, invite guests, lure sponsors and pursue the media to cover it. All of this helped them build their marketing skills. The project also helped them build their oral communication skills as they were encouraged to partake in exercises to banish stage fright and the anxiety caused by public speaking. Prof. Malik added that another objective of the event was to provide entertainment and pay tribute to the legends of comedy in the country.
Muhammad Owan Ali, who was one of the organisers, said, “It was a difficult task to bring in the crowd in such a large number with no big names attached to the event and ultimately we have learnt that hard work really pays off.” The performers meticulously practised their routines and dialogues over a span of two-and-a-half months. In the end, their efforts paid rich dividends in the form of giggles, guffaws, cheers and hoots. The hall was packed with people from all four of the institution’s campuses and they spared no chance to laugh at the steady stream of punchlines hurled their way.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2012.
At Iqra University, trying to imitate Pakistani starlets’ unique hybrid of English and Punjabi is all part of the process to improve communication and marketing skills.
On Saturday and Sunday, an event titled ‘Komedy Drama Kombat’ was held at the institution in which funny accents and botched sentences were used in skits to elicit giggles. A total of 170 students participated as either performers or members of the production team. Among the hilarious performances was a parody of Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ in which students impersonating famous Pakistani personalities, including Meera and Ali Gul Pir’s infamous ‘wadera’, turned up as contestants. There were also performances in which students mimicked Pakistani comedian Omar Sharif’s routine. But it was the original skits that left the audience in stitches.
Prof. Rosy Tanveer Malik, an assistant professor at the university, told The Express Tribune that the event was part of an academic project undertaken by business administration students to prove their abilities in public relations and oral communication. Not only did they have to organise the event but also perform for a very large crowd.
Prof. Malik said the event was a valuable learning experience for students as they had to work hard to promote it, invite guests, lure sponsors and pursue the media to cover it. All of this helped them build their marketing skills. The project also helped them build their oral communication skills as they were encouraged to partake in exercises to banish stage fright and the anxiety caused by public speaking. Prof. Malik added that another objective of the event was to provide entertainment and pay tribute to the legends of comedy in the country.
Muhammad Owan Ali, who was one of the organisers, said, “It was a difficult task to bring in the crowd in such a large number with no big names attached to the event and ultimately we have learnt that hard work really pays off.” The performers meticulously practised their routines and dialogues over a span of two-and-a-half months. In the end, their efforts paid rich dividends in the form of giggles, guffaws, cheers and hoots. The hall was packed with people from all four of the institution’s campuses and they spared no chance to laugh at the steady stream of punchlines hurled their way.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2012.