A Look Into Stand Up Comedy in Pakistan

Punchline magazine just published an enlightening new piece written by a Pakistani comedian named Sami Shah, who writes about his experiences being a Pakistand-up comic (I should clearly be shipped off to a Pun-tanamo Bay). Shah writes…

…Having a capacity for shame means shielding ones

naughty bits. It means maintaining self-respect and dignity… It means not telling jokes about being molested as a child… it means not getting up onstage in Karachi, Pakistan with nothing but the jokes you composed alone in a room…

I chose, for reasons I will never understand, to be shameless.

It's a good thing to know shamelessness, not love, is the one universal language. I'll remember that next time I go on vacation abroad.

Yes, I am a Pakistani. I was born here, raised here… I perform in English because the damned British colonized us up

until 62 years ago. When they left, English, the language, stayed… I communicate it Minglish,

which inventively combines English and Urdu (the language of Karachi).

Minglish? Don't let James L. Brooks get a whiff of your combined language, lest he cast Adam Sandler in its adaptation.

I had access to very little stand-up. I had downloaded audio files of

Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Hicks and George

Carlin—the big names… I

didn’t know what a “hack” comic was. So, for example, when I wrote a bit about airport security, I thought I was covering new ground.

I am not sure if he's extremely lucky or unlucky to be kept away from hack comedians. Also, I didn't realize Bill Hicks was a big a name as those others. I guess screaming Hitler was an underachiever to an annoying heckler translates through to other cultures pretty nicely.

You should all definitely read the rest of Sami Shah article. It's fascinating to look into how other cultures interact with comedy, especially when you can see it through the eyes of a comedian as self-aware as Shah.

Click after the jump to watch some Sami Shah YouTube clips.

In the first clip, Shah uses his memories of being molested as inspiration for a stand-up bit… um… Surprisingly, it works.

Shah talks about hating working and hating job interviews. Hey, we hate our jobs here too. Except for me of course. I love my job (please don't fire me, Matt Tobey!).

Not surprising since he mentioned Bill Hicks in the article, this bit about advertising was reminiscent of some of Hicks' work. Except, you know, not drunk, angry, and smoking a full pack in ten minutes.

According to Shah's blog, he has a show that's similar to The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Due to his limitations, he claims he does a lot of the show himself. I obviously have a limited perspective and knowledge into Shah, but all in all, I think it goes without saying, he seems like a pretty interesting guy.