Shaikh. Chicken. Action.
Nandos Lahore was host to a different kind of evening on Monday as comedian Shehzad Ghias Shaikh dived into some much-needed localised humour.
The performance was part of a nationwide comedy tour that kicked off in Karachi and will culminate in Islamabad.
Shehzad’s jokes hit home. He starts by pulling his audience in by using local symbols and icons. It is that localised humour that hits home repeatedly and keeps his audiences engaged. “Tum Karachi se hu? Tum mobile chor hu?” he says while starting a joke. Everyone laughs because everyone can relate to where he is going. The act is a mix of old and new, but everyone can relate. There is a bit of OLX thrown in with Ainak Walla Jinn, and the spectator laps it up immediately.
Shaikh has previously toured the United States for two years and done many shows. And those skills show when he takes the stage. When you’re at one of his performances you don’t just watch an act, you just might become a part of one. His is quick with his wit and light on his feet when it comes to his humour.
Sajid, one of the members in the audience, fell prey to one of Shaikh’s queues. “He was starting out his joke and I ended up becoming a part of the performance. The guy puts you at ease while he’s making fun of you,” he said while talking to Pakistan Today.
The mark of any good comedian is their ability to laugh at themselves. Throughout the show, Shaikh brought himself front and centre into his joke. “City school is the McDonalds of schools in Pakistan,” he began to a laughing audience. The rest of the joke followed through with stories of his time in school. Somewhere along the way it became clear that the audience wasn’t laughing at him, rather they were laughing with him.
Shaikh dances, sings, jumps, and does whatever else is needed to make people laugh. There were even a few decent impressions or two in the performance. No one can deny that his routine has a lot of heart.
Maria, a student present at the show, told Pakistan Today that the performance was a much-needed affair in terms of entertainment. “The only thing we do is watch movies or go out for food. We need more options in terms of entertainment and I think this was great. You watch people like Jon Stewart and laugh but it’s nothing compared to when you find a comedian that’s cracking jokes you can actually relate to!” she said.
Shaikh has previously toured the United States for two years, while spreading his jokes around. His performances in Pakistan are a welcome addition to a slew of activities that are slowly starting to prop up all over the country. Pakistan needs much more of Shaikh’s magic touch, and we need a whole lot more comedy.
For those that are still interested in getting a bite of Shaikh’s performance, there’s still one show left and it’ll be happening on December 30 in Islamabad.
