An Interview with Saad Haroon- Pakistan's Top English Speaking Comedian!

Getting to know Pakistan’s Top English Speaking Comedian.

An interview with Saad Haroon.

How did you first get into Comedy?

Saad: I first got into comedy in 2001, it was just after the 9/11 attacks in New York and the atmosphere in Pakistan (we were just about to enter the war on terror) was very gloomy. I wanted to do something uplifting and fun and so I started and improvisational comedy troupe and one thing led to another thing and soon I was covered with things and I could not get a job anywhere else.

As a Pakistani Comedian are you subject to stereotypes? How do you tackle them?

Saad: I am subject to stereotypes, and sometimes I write material to tackle it and to break the notion of what it means to be Pakistani in this day and age, and sometimes I use the stereotypes to my advantage as I now have a monopoly on all taxi jokes.

Was it difficult performing Comedy in English in Pakistan? How was the initial response?

Saad: Many people in Pakistan speak English, it is a legacy left to us by the British who left the sub-continent in 1947 taking the Kohinoor diamond from us but leaving their dictionary. The initial response was great, the people really supported us and gave me the confidence to keep going and creating new comedic work.

Tell us more about your TV Show “The Real News”.

Saad: The Real News was Pakistan's first English language comedy show on television, it was also the first comedy show every in the country to tape in front of a live studio audience. The Real News uses a mixture of sketch and topical comedy to talk about the issues in Pakistan and is a comedy show which has a news satire format.

You are currently in New York City performing a series of Comedy Shows to benefit Pakistani Flood Relief Victims. How has the response been so far?

Saad: The response has been great but I have actually done very little, other American comedians like Dean Obiedallah and Aasif Mandvi have done much bigger shows in which the proceeds have all gone to flood relief and it is heart-warming to see these established comedians, who are not Pakistani, take time out to help Pakistan.

You recently got married last year. Has married life added to your comedic material? If yes, does your wife mind?

Saad: I got married eight months ago and I am busy writing all kinds of jokes, and my wife is really supportive, so maybe none of the jokes are funny...

Any advice for budding comedians?

Saad: Go for it. Take a class, have some fun. Life is short and so are you. A bird in hand is worth two rats. Look before you go blind. If at first you don't succeed, try to bribe the waiter.

Make sure to catch Saad Haroon perform live in Dubai on Friday, November 12 at Reel Cinemas in Dubai Mall as part of the DIPAF’s “The BIG Comedy Show”. 2 Shows: 7:30 and 10:00pm. You can purchase tickets at: www.timeouttickets.com or call 050 44 00 99 4.