Written by: Subboh Jaffery
Posted on: September 27, 2018 | 
| 中文
The group of comedians
The infamous Akbar Chaudry hosted the 3rd episode of a series of weekly stand-up comedy shows, Mangal Madness, at The MAD School. The show was performed by 8 different comedians, including big names like Shehzad Ghias Shaikh and Hassaan Bin Shaheen. The hall was packed with an ecstatic and encouraging audience. At one point, the comedian Ehsan Yar literally just asked the audience to laugh for a minute, as the show only had a minute left, and we did. We laughed for an entire minute for no apparent reason.
Akbar, the host, started off the show by recognizing and appreciating what he called their ‘biggest audience yet,’ until he noticed a 3-and-a-half-year-old child in the audience. Akbar proceeded to indulge in a humorous conversation with a struggling actor who sat in the audience, suggesting that he’s struggling simply because he’s a bad actor. He then joked about the ‘sensitivity’ of the Pakistani society, ending his act with a few jokes about how people received Natalia Gul Jilani’s recent viral set about Sindhis and their culture. I had personally felt disgusted by how people reacted, and flocked to send her threats. We all owe Natalia an apology.
Next up, came the first performer of the evening, Sana Khan Niazi. Sana put in a solid effort, joking about her family and her typical desi household. She went on to express her deep-rooted annoyance with the way the middle child is treated, and how all she ever did at home was make tea. Her act got a decent reception, but it was a great effort nonetheless.
The second performer, Aliasgher Kapasi, really got the show started. His witty and magnificently engineered one-liners had the audience burst into laughter. He played by the book; short build up followed by a punchline. His jokes ranged from religion to mocking the new government, prime minister and consequently ‘Naya Pakistan.’ His act had the hall echoing with laughter.
Kinza Mujeeb, another very talented comedian, took to the stage and she didn’t disappoint. After the previous set, the crowd had high expectations and Kinza had the perfect recipe. She ridiculed the recent elitist trend of zumba, pilates and fitness boutiques, bringing to attention how the women in these so-called fitness programs, have made a cult out of it. Terrific set, Kinza!
Syed Muhammad Kumail came up next and stole the show for me. He took the opportunity to address some misperceptions about the Shia community, pointing out the logical fallacies in the absurd rumors spread about them. Kumail’s set made my stomach hurt, and it was my favorite performance of the evening.
Up next, Shehzad Ghias took over the mic in his signature style. Before he could begin, the young kid in the audience captured his attention. Shehzad tried to converse with the kid, but he clearly found his iPad more interesting, so Shehzad was left talking to himself. Shehzad did what he does best; audience engagement - from making fun of someone’s name, to trying to set up two people seated together.
After Shehzad’s short and hysterical stint, Qaumi Coup’s very own, Hassaan bin Shaheen, took up the challenge of keeping the audience entertained. Hassaan also had fun with the audience, and they didn’t let him down either. Among the spectators, he ran into a psychology student who called herself a therapist, and a BBA student who introduced himself as an entrepreneur. Hassaan joked about his life and his very short stay at IBA before dropping out.
After a struggling actor, we were introduced to a struggling comedian, Asad Pabani. Due to the preceding performers, Asad was really tested by the audience. He joked about the elitist mentality and the far-left community of Pakistan, making fun of their false sense of entitlement and self-righteousness. He received a few giggles here and there, maybe a few laughs as well. On another day, maybe he would’ve gotten a better response.
Ehsan Yar took to the stage as the last performer. From the very beginning, he had the crowd laughing at his unique delivery style. He spoke about his depression, joking about his low self esteem. He wrapped up his act real smooth, with a few jokes about his relationship with his father. All in all, a terrific performance that had all of us laughing.
So that was a short recap of Mangal Madness’ 3rd episode. Of course, it’s impossible to capture the essence of a comedy show in words, but it was a lot of fun. It’s good to see the comedy scene in Karachi growing, and these performers were genuinely funny and great entertainers. Mangal Madness is a weekly series, with a different group of performers every Tuesday night at MAD School. I recommend all of you attend it, I know I am going again on the 2nd of October!
Special thanks to Fahad Zaki and Hassaan bin Shaheen for the pictures!
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