Every culture has their legends; a collective body of work that honours the genius that birthed it.
This title is not always bestowed through popular vote, sometimes it is stumbled upon.
You may be pondering why anyone would regard stage show comedies as genius or legendary. But if you are familiar with how a lump of rock becomes gold, you will understand where I am going with this.
Chip away the layers of vulgarity, the coarse language, the stereotypical (mis)representation, and you have on your hands a bundle of multi-layered comedies delivering unparalleled entertainment value.
So, the question is, how come Punjabi stage shows are not considered as one of the country's biggest assets?
Coarse production hides real value
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Screenshot of a scene from 'Andaaz Apna Apna'. |
Well, the obvious answer is the aforementioned offensive perspective, vulgarity, etc. though some people have worked very hard to distance themselves from it.
Even from a production standpoint, there is no control over the format; no real immersion, brought on by a paper-thin fourth wall, broken at the slightest of breezes; messy characters, who could be interchanged without affecting the plot; and generally, a lack of appreciation for the true potential for what they have on their hands.
But the fact of the matter is, these shows still enjoy cult status in select circles, and are slowly spreading to other facets of media.
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It starts with the paying customers. Punjabi stage shows appeal to a demographic that, though large in size, is only at the periphery of media attention.
This is the demographic that's at the heart of our issues; the real people of Pakistan who are the first victims of policies and “wayward floods” — the populous lot of Pakistan, if you will.
To please this jaded demographic, stage show thespians present such amazingly intelligent observations about different cultures around the country, that the overall product is quite dazzling and the auditoriums barely go unfilled.
Not only do these performers understand their audience’s needs, they also have tremendous knowledge on varied subjects like geography, sociology, economics and politics — all ready to access at a moment’s notice.
Just hearing two characters riff one-liners at each other offers invaluable insight into the daily lives of the average Pakistani.
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The cultural impact of Punjabi stage shows can be felt in all of our entertainment today. For example, TV’s rating behemoths like Hasb-e-Haal, Khabarnaak or Mazaaq Raat are offshoots of this medium.
You may or may not not like these shows, but you cannot deny their mass appeal. Our performers have taken their shows all around the globe to much fanfare.
Socially aware and insightful content
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Irfan Khoosat with other actors in 'Hakkay Bakkay'. |
And it goes beyond mere one-liners.
They once presented a play that delved into the story of two blind brothers forced into begging (providing an affluent life for their family) and their attraction towards a girl they could obviously never get.
The comedy came from their honest portrayal and real emotions catering to both the lighter and darker side of the issue. Such a deep and meaningful story would have been pure tear fodder.
But these artists delivered such this dark subject in a way never seen before, and with near scientific balance. At the end, they had left the audience both riveted and subliminally aware of an important social issue.
Punjabi stage show performers have made numerous attempts to break into mainstream media.
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It started with parodies of popular films, a format that failed to catch on. Then, there was the trend of redubbing popular films with hilarious voice overs, the most popular example being Shanghai Knights rebranded as Butt te Bhatti.
The copyright issues and ethics behind the move are questionable at best. However, that venture gave us such hilarious content that it sparked a culture of dubbing films, which made many movies and documentaries easier for us to digest.
Potential waiting to be polished
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'Hakkay Bakkay' |
To sum it all up, in Punjabi stage comedies, we have a constantly evolving, constantly growing treasure chest of impeccable talent and a dedicated fan following.
It is just waiting to find the perfect format.
To put it in perspective, British comedians have created entire franchises based on pseudo quiz shows with some zany theme or another, because they found it the perfect showcase for their knowledge and talents.
We have yet to find ours, or maybe we have found it and it just needs polishing.
I would like to preface my closing remarks with an outline that poor presentation should not invite a hatred for the product (at least not in all cases). If the stage show format had a less risqué approach, higher-brow content and cleaner production values, it may very well have reached phenomenal levels of global acclaim.
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The good news is that is still very much possible. Bad news is that it is not an overnight solution. We need to cultivate this industry, help raise its standards such that it flushes out its own impurities without alienating its core fanbase.
Once that has been achieved, comedy will become our currency in global media economics and that is a future worth struggling for.