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This summer I saw comedian Danish Ali walk around a living room holding up his laptop, hoping to find the ideal spot where the internet signal strength was strongest. He was trying to upload his latest video, which ironically was about the abysmal local browsing speeds. Ali even attempted going out on the balcony, reasoning that the signals would be unobstructed there. Needless to see we were all amused and he wasn’t even trying. Ali is just a funny guy.

A doctor by profession, Ali chose the singular life of a comedian and viral humorist after having completing his MBBS degree and then some. It was his calling and he threw himself right in. Pakistan has had its fair share of comedy geniuses ranging from the slapstick Saeed Khan Rangeela to the subtle wit of Anwar Maqsood but stand-up comedy and viral humour is a different ball game altogether. It’s about being funny in the digital age where attention spans are minuscule, political correctness important, all the while ensuring that you maintain a dominating media position.

Navigating this landscape requires more skill than just being funny. It requires approaching comedy as a science rather than innate talent. Ali’s meticulous nature lends itself well to this cut and dry approach. As he and I sit down to chat about the technical aspects of creating comedy he starts with the disclaimer that he can go into a little bit detail but not too much, "I don’t want to give it all away now!"

"The inspiration can come from anywhere. I hear something and sort it away at the back of my head thinking this is hilarious. It could be someone talking to me too closely; I could probably make an entire video on closer talkers and people with an inappropriate sense of physical distance. Mostly though it starts as an idea that I find amusing and I take that as a launch pad. For example, I was sitting around alone one day and I said ‘But why’ to myself and that’s literally from where the video was born," he explains.

Ali is referring to his most viewed hit, But Why, where a frustrated father is trying to have a conversation with his lazy son whose only response to all his questions is ‘but why?’ It’s a hilarious video, deceptively simple but technically a master piece. All Ali utters during it’s nearly one minute twenty second duration are two word but in varied intonations and a thick accent.

Having decided that he was going to build a video around two words and the idea of an antagonizing conversation, Ali reveals that he spent three weeks putting the video together. "It spawned from there. I wrote the first draft in English and called my friend, Mohammad Ali, who is an actor and regularly features in my videos and we started shooting. Mid-way through that I realized it wasn’t funny so we called it a night and went back to the editing. Another week goes by polishing it and as we’re shooting the second time I realise it should be in Urdu so I go back to reworking the script again. Another week in R&D leaves us with four different versions that we test on multiple people. It’s unusual to put so much time into a video but I guess I was just invested in the idea. We finally find the version we think will work best and when we shoot again, it comes out as I had hoped," he divulges.

According to Ali, who releases new videos regularly but in no particular frequency, a viral artist needs to have at least one video out every day. "I realise that if it’s not daily then you don’t gain the momentum or can’t maintain it. The test is to release new material every day while still retaining integrity and quality," says Ali, setting the bar quite high.

It’s important to appreciate how much work it actually turns out to be even putting a single video out; Ali is the script-writer, actor, cameraman, editor and his own social media manager. "I’m also the tea boy and the cleaner; I fetch tea on all my shoots and if anything spills or breaks I have to clean it up," he adds with a chuckle. Is it a matter of obsessive control or the lack of proper outsourcing resources available? "It’s hard being a one-man show but it ensures that I have complete control over the set and the video turns out exactly as I imagined. Get someone to come in for help and they’ll break a light. I can’t imagine giving footage over to anyone else for editing. If there was an editor out there who could edit like me he’d be making his own videos. Plus the budgets just aren’t there for me to hire superstars.

All the hit shows like Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show etc. have teams of thirty or more people working on writing and it obviously leads to a slick production but we have no such monetary kickbacks. In fact, one of my dream jobs would be to land a gig as a writer for the Conan O’Brien show," he exclaims laughing.

"I’m a lazy individual so for me having product placements in my videos means I have to make and release them, which works as the ideal motivator," Ali says, when asked about brand endorsements and their effect on the quality of his humour.

"A lot of my videos would’ve never been produced if I didn’t have a brand who had already paid me for it breathing down my neck.

It definitely works for me, I have complete control over the script and how I present the product so I tend to be subversive and self-deprecating even sometimes. I’ve had actors break character in videos to exclaim, ‘Another product placement?’ which is quite cheeky," he points out succinctly.

"From my videos you can tell I never shy away from brands. I like commercial art and you always come across that one artist who’s brooding and looks down his nose at commercial collaborations, decrying how capitalism has ruined art. That’s just crap! How else am I supposed to pay my bills? They’re running a business and so am I. I find it exciting to see how I can help create a mutually beneficial relationship. There’s nothing wrong with it," he opines.

The conversation turns to viral media and cringe-pop, the rising genre of videos that are so bad they’re good. What’s Ali’s take on artists like Taher Shah and Qandeel Baloch whose videos shock and awe but not always positively? "I love Taher Shah. I don’t think his videos are bad, they’re exciting and so different. And not just his videos, his brain works so differently that it’s just fascinating. This guy thinks to himself I’m going to dress in a purple gown, as an angel, on a golf course. And then for most people it’s a fleeting possibility and they wake up the next morning and get to work.

Taher Shah wakes up the next morning and books a golf course. And then Taher Shah drives to the tailor where he tells him, out loud, ‘I want a purple suit.’ He passes a barber shop every day and still chooses to not get a hair-cut. He has a wonderful mind making these wonderful decisions so we get to see this really weird art and his message is peace and love. It’s a good message," Ali concludes earnestly.

As far as Qandeel Baloch is concerned, Ali reserves all judgement. "I’m a family comedian so I’ve just distanced myself from that narrative and she’s free to do what she wants. I’m also a feminist so really, her choice. I will add though that her dance moves make her seem constipated. That just gets to me. They need a little work," he states with a half laugh.

Ali works in two distinct mediums that have very different requirements from each other: stand-up performances and scripted videos. Each has its own set of rules you need to play by; one’s bound to be easier or more rewarding than the other. "Videos hands down. Stand-up comedy is brutal. It’s very rewarding but so difficult to get right. That’s why even most great comedians only have an hour or two of material in their entire life. Eddie Murphy and Robbin Williams probably only have a set or two during their entire career.

The thing with stand up is you have no room to hide. Everything you say and the way you deliver it has to be pitch perfect before it can resonate with the audience. Through-out my years at medical school I would write my bit and then get student focus groups to come in and I’d practice my set on them until I was sure that every single joke on it would elicit laughs.

Making a video is so convenient. I shoot at home with three people and can take as much time as I want to ensure that it’s funny. Performing comedy live is a different pressure altogether. Imagine standing up in front of 4000 people, which I have, and trying to make them all laugh. Though usually, part of the preparatory pep talk I give myself before any show is that I’m providing an important public service. I think  about the people who are coming and how miserable their lives might be and I calm myself before going on stage by thinking that I’ll be making them all laugh and forget their worries, even if for a little bit," Ali explains with a grin.

There is no denying that being a comedian is a calling. A calling so strong that those who feel it can’t ignore or deny its appeal but calling or not, being funny is something entirely different. Ali is funny but is also smart enough to know how to brand himself well. He’s clear in his ethos and identity and strives to curate an original voice. His unaffected demeanor means that he’s successful without being pompous, with a desire to continue pushing boundaries.

I’ll conclude the interview on anecdote that Ali shared about one of his recent videos; the aforementioned clip about internet speeds. In his quest for signals in the video, Ali is seen hiding on the hood of a car in a few scenes. Turns out that since he and his supporting actor were both on the hood of the car and his driver was fulfilling cameraman duties, Ali’s apprentice who had never driven before in life was behind the wheel. "We were shouting driving instructions from the hood. You probably can’t hear it but in most of those shots we’re shrieking break, break, break!" Ali reveals with a laugh.

Anything for the perfect shot!

-- Photo credit:

Jaffer Hassan