Mahmood Hasan

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — Shakeel Siddiqui walks into Saudi Gazette office with a limp, a reminder of an accident that left him with rods in both his legs. Nothing sets him apart from others … until he speaks.



Without a hint of a smile on his face, his chirp left all the people present with laughter.



That is his job and he is someone who is at the top of his game. Respected and loved in Pakistan and India alike, the present-day “King of Comedy” is in the city for a show at Golden Tulip Hotel Thursday night.



Before anyone could put a question to him, he asks where we are from. And is happy to hear that we people from Pakistan and India are working side-by-side. “That’s the lesson that needs to reach the masses. What are neighbors going get out of a fight? Only the third person is going to be happy,” he said.



Siddiqui, a stand-up comedian, stage and television artist from Pakistan, made his name working with comedian Omer Sharif in stage play “Bakra Qistoon Pay” — Goat on installments, among others.



He rose to prominence in neighboring India after appearing first as a contestant and then as a co-host of “Comedy Circus” — a reality-based TV comedy show.



“I received a lot of love from India,” he said. “Had I not come here, I would have gone to India for a show.”



Reminded of the 2008 incident when he was at the center of the storm following the Mumbai attacks, Siddiqui said: “I had reached India the same day and since their house was on fire, they had the right to express their anger. I was told not take part in programs and that was the end of the story.



“Some people are playing politics. They after all also have to make a living,” he added.



Talking about comedy, he said it is very fast in Pakistan. The one-liners, according to him, have changed the game altogether.



“Comedy in Pakistan is very fast. India’s is relatively slow. The comedians there acknowledge that they learned a lot from Moin Akhtar. They follow a slightly different mode of the art. They tend to add a joke in their skits,” he said, adding: “Pakistan has class comedians, while India has class actors. They are, however, fast catching up in comedy.”



Asked whether he has a team of writers helping him prepare his skits, Siddiqui said he “goes to shows only with an outline, the rest is all spontaneous.”



He is thus quite like Lehri, another leading comedian and actor of Pakistan, who was also famous for coining his dialogues on stage and screen. “I try to follow Lehri Sahab. And you might have noticed that I have a similar style,” he added with a smile.



Talking about material, he said there is more tension in Pakistan and thus the material for comedians is in abundance.



He loves stage. “I love theater. I would immediately know through people’s reaction whether they liked my performance or not,” he said.



He liked singing, but landed in a comedy role through a cousin in early 1980s. He got a major role since the actor playing the role was absent. “Acting is a gamble. By the time you know that you have made it or lost it, it is too late to do anything else. I was lucky to get break a break with the best like Omer Sharif and Moin Akhtar. The rest is history,” he said.



Asked what advice he would give to budding comedians, he said: “Observe, observe and observe. Be among the common man on the footpath and in tea stalls. Leave your air-conditioned rooms and see the world.”



Siddiqui will be on stage with Wali Sheikh, whom the Jeddah audience remembers for his performance with the late Sikander Sanam.



Desi Entertainers and XM Pro, the organizers of the show, have also signed 10 local artists who will be performing at the show. Those interested may contact the following numbers for tickets: 0583235356 or 0554184497.