Stand-up comedian ZAKIR KHAN, making waves with his one-hour special show Haq Se Single, talks to SANGEETA YADAV about his new monologue comedy out of one's tragedies
Your recent one-hour special live show Haq Se Single is sold out...
It is very close to my heart and took me two years to write it. I talk about my journey of falling in love, surviving rejections, heart breaks and how everyone has the right to be single and be proud of it. When I wrote this special, I did what came best to me.
How difficult it is to do comedy on real life tragediesIJ
Comedy comes from tragedies. There is a big misconception that when you laugh, you feel happy. You think that comedy is a happy thing. But the joke inherently comes from a very dark space and its origin will always remain dark. You are laughing at your own situation. If a comedian has said anything mean or stereotypical, and if you are also laughing, then you also become equally mean.
Do you faced flak for raising issuesIJ
I have a life away from the social media and even if there is any threat or criticism that comes my way, it doesn't affect me in any way. I don't give too much attention to it. Since I am not active on social media, there is no such situation for me. I learnt from Gursimran Khamba that the more you stay away from the social media, the better you will enjoy life.
Tell us about your new monologue for Star Gold Select channelIJ
The ad breaks on TV are happening so frequently that I feel we are watching ads more than a show or a movie. This bothered me so much that I stopped watching television. That’s why I came up with a monologue which talks about how irritating ad breaks are. With Star Gold Select channel, viewers can watch their movie with just one interval. This campaign was a good opportunity to take out all my angst As your comedy is based on personal experiences, did you put in anything personal in the monologuesIJ
Earlier, we used to watch two shows at the same time but there are so many ads that you can’t watch anything except ads. You can’t do much about it except sit through the commercials and wait for them to get over or turn off the TV. During my childhood, whenever my brother and I used to watch TV, during ad breaks we used to rush to drink water or get something to eat or go on a toilet break and come back quickly so that we didn't miss out on anything. But now is the situation that if you go for shopping or on a three-day break, when you return there will be four more ads left on TV (laughs).
What happens if there is nothing new you are able to come up withIJ
If there is no insecurity, there is no artist. Insecurity is the core of every artist but we need to channelise it. Artistic block is a facade. We all are lazy and use it as an excuse. These are very unprofessional issues. I have never experienced any block. Sometimes I may not get a good idea but that's fine I guess.
Who is your favourite comicIJ
I look up to louis CK, an American comedian. He is too good.
As a comedian, where do you want to see yourself 10 years down the lineIJ
It is not that I don't want to be India's best comedian. I want to be a personal favourite of everyone. That's my aim.
What are you working on these daysIJ
I am taking my time now and observing. It will take me a year or two to come up with a new one-hour act . Even other good and hard working artist takes a sabbatical to write a one- hour show. I am going to be a part of The Great Indian laughter Challenge on Star Plus where I will be mentoring the new stand-up artists. But it is too early to talk about it now.