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Why is the Indian stand up comedy scene miles ahead of the Pakistani scene?
1. Comedy Clubs
Can you produce cricketers without any nets/grounds/academies? If we never get to practice our craft, we will never get better. Stand up is a muscle and you need to exercise it daily.
1. Comedy Clubs
Can you produce cricketers without any nets/grounds/academies? If we never get to practice our craft, we will never get better. Stand up is a muscle and you need to exercise it daily.
I've done close to a thousand shows in ten years whereas when I was in New York my friends were doing 3-4 shows a night. They probably racked up a thousand shows in a year.
Also theres no difference here between a show and an open mic. We cant just get up and test material.
Also theres no difference here between a show and an open mic. We cant just get up and test material.
2. Not a career
It's not a viable career option here. You can't expect to become Chapelle if you work 9-7 6 days a week and every fortnight get up on stage for an hour.
Since nobody really makes any money here from gigging,nobody really works on their craft. Theres no incentive
It's not a viable career option here. You can't expect to become Chapelle if you work 9-7 6 days a week and every fortnight get up on stage for an hour.
Since nobody really makes any money here from gigging,nobody really works on their craft. Theres no incentive
You have to be crazy passionate and just do it because of your own keera.
3. No room to grow
Ask every single stand up comedian, they'll tell you how they bombed for years. We simply dont have the audience or the industry for a comic to find his/her voice over years.
3. No room to grow
Ask every single stand up comedian, they'll tell you how they bombed for years. We simply dont have the audience or the industry for a comic to find his/her voice over years.
4. Little local support
Talent hunters are regularly at comedy shows. We don't have that culture here. To get shows or TV time you need connections - nobody is out there hunting for talent.
With no seniors theres nobody to emulate. Everyones figuring it out as they go along.
Talent hunters are regularly at comedy shows. We don't have that culture here. To get shows or TV time you need connections - nobody is out there hunting for talent.
With no seniors theres nobody to emulate. Everyones figuring it out as they go along.
5. Small market
India is a global market. Netflix will invest in India because they make money from India. We don't even have Netlflix or Amazon here.
The more money that comes into stand up, the more the industry will develop and you'll see a lot more professionals.
India is a global market. Netflix will invest in India because they make money from India. We don't even have Netlflix or Amazon here.
The more money that comes into stand up, the more the industry will develop and you'll see a lot more professionals.
6. Small Audiences
Stand up is limited to urban centres. Honestly, pretty much only Karachi. A comic in America can go on tour and do a show in a different city each day for a year. We have a few thousand audience members in the entire country who will come see live shows.
Stand up is limited to urban centres. Honestly, pretty much only Karachi. A comic in America can go on tour and do a show in a different city each day for a year. We have a few thousand audience members in the entire country who will come see live shows.
7. People dont know how stand up works
Zakir Khan didnt just get up on stage and improvise some lines. He worked on those 15 minutes for 18 months before uploading them. Probably performing each joke a few hundred times.
If we do shows Sat and Sun, people expect diff material.
Zakir Khan didnt just get up on stage and improvise some lines. He worked on those 15 minutes for 18 months before uploading them. Probably performing each joke a few hundred times.
If we do shows Sat and Sun, people expect diff material.
8. Sab comedian hay
Yahan sab ko lagta hay woh comedian hay so some people dont go to shows to enjoy them but to make sure they dont have a good time so they can feel better about themselves by shitting on someone else.
Theres an audience for everyone. Let people perform.
Yahan sab ko lagta hay woh comedian hay so some people dont go to shows to enjoy them but to make sure they dont have a good time so they can feel better about themselves by shitting on someone else.
Theres an audience for everyone. Let people perform.
The more people perform, the more their voice will develop and they will find their audiences. Bo Burnham ka show hua Pakistan mai toh awaam toh pareshan hee hojaye gee - stand up is a diverse act. Sadly, we expect the same kind of comedy from everyone. The kind we are used to.
9. Degradation of comedy on TV
Comedy on TV plays to the lowest common denominator and unfortunately we have gotten used to that so there's no room for anyone to do something unique and different on mainstream platforms and theres only so much you can grow on the fringes.
Comedy on TV plays to the lowest common denominator and unfortunately we have gotten used to that so there's no room for anyone to do something unique and different on mainstream platforms and theres only so much you can grow on the fringes.
That being said. It's not that bad. We have a couple of dozen active stand up comedians in the country and Tapmad just produced Pakistans first stand up comedy specials.
If live shows resume, you'll see the industry grow Inshallah. Just give them the space to!
If live shows resume, you'll see the industry grow Inshallah. Just give them the space to!
