t the start of 2023, Akbar Chaudry did what we all tend to do as the new year begins: he made a resolution. Unlike most of us, Chaudry has followed up on his resolution.

What he wanted was, “to take Pakistani standup to the level that Indian standup is at right now”. As Chaudry describes why - despite his own popularity - he felt the potential of comedy wasn’t being met locally, he says:

“The way writing jokes works is, that you write a joke, try it at a show, study the response, and then make adjustments,” but the process isn’t as linear as that sounds. Different audiences would obviously respond differently to jokes. But as Chaudry discovered eventually, it was the same audience he was performing for over and over, who naturally found the jokes repetitive over time.

To correct that, Chaudry, along with other cohorts, had gone across different venues in Karachi, “from Zamzama to Johar,” to perform for and reach for a wider audience.

As a very Karachi comic, Chaudry’s jokes punch straight to the point, and cleverly callback most unexpectedly. Midsummer found him and three other standup comics touring through Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Islamabad and Peshawar.

“We also had no real records – clips – of our performances,” he says. “Apart from cell phone videos maybe. So this last tour, we had the final show taped professionally and you can watch the reels and clips online.”

Chaudry proudly states that the pro taping of the show was funded purely through ticket sales, as every single show on Shapatour - the Pakistan-at-large leg of shows - was sold out.

“We will be going back on tour later this year,” he says. The funnymen will hit new locations including Bahawalpur and Quetta, but for now, Chaudry is focused on Open Mic Night, which will be a set of six shows, played across Karachi in August from Malir all the way to Defence, hopefully being able to allow anyone who loves the laughs but hates the traffic, to attend.

Tickets can be obtained by PMing Chaudry on his Instagram directly, and tickets are limited, will sell out fast, so make sure you book yours as soon as the dates for the shows drop.

– Follow Akbar Chaudry on Instagram
@akbarchaudry