Comic Zakir Khan spends time discussing his new hour Papa Yaar about his ‘friendly’ relationship with his father, and his expectations for the future of comedy crossing languages
Hot off selling out Madison Square Garden, comedian Zakir Khan is making history and bringing his unique perspective to the world of Hindi-language stand-up.
“The show is in Hindi, it is native to the language. A lot of things do not translate,” explains the Instagram-famous storyteller ahead of his Sunday, April 19 date at NRG Arena.
“[After] this time performing in Houston, I will be taking a long break, maybe for three to four years from live touring. This will be my like last show. And hopefully I will come back to Houston after four years and I am totally banking on the technology that we will have translator earphones or headphones. Then persons from every language can come to the show and enjoy what I do. I’m super excited. That would kill the side conversations!”
There’s a reason Khan was named Comedy Central India’s Best Stand-Up Comedian – and in attempting to unpack his latest hour, is becomes clear how his appeal has crossed cultures. “I’ve performed here a couple of times, but never at such a large scale. This is the first time to be performing for almost 2,500 people. This is my first time going big!”
On the show itself, he explains the origins of the name of the special Papa Yaar. “I going to talk about the relationship between a young teenage boy and his father,” Khan explains. “That’s a very unique relationship. You know who is the boss when you start challenging your father’s authority, and how that plays in the long run. When you are growing up, you feel everything is a trap, you know? They don’t want to let go, and how you realize as you get older that those things were to protect you and not restrict you. That is what the show is about. The show is called Papa Yaar which translates to ‘My Dad is My Friend’ Especially in India, Indian dads are not friends with you. The audacity of saying we’re friends is a joke in itself.”
Khan is vulnerable with this introspection, and his audiences seem to have embraced it on a massive scale. “I don’t get hecklers, never in my entire life, 17 years!” he says with zeal. “Most of my hecklers are positive hecklers! They are so loving!”
Perhaps the secret is in plain sight – in his act, he builds his community up, and only allows himself to be the source of joke. “I don’t lie on stage,” he deadpans. “I exaggerate for sure, but I never lie. I exaggerate it according to my writing skills. I’m the only one who is a loser in the shows.”
He’ll even build up his friends on stage, Khan explains with an example. “In one of my previous specials, I was talking about my friend dancing at his wedding. I did not say his name, but he figured out it was him. So he forced me to take his name and say he was a class topper.”
If Khan is ever surprised by his world fame, he doesn’t seem to show it – as his comedy has played across the globe and made him the toast of the Hindi-speaking world. “Audiences are a reflection of artists,” he wisely states. “You will go to a jazz club, and will hear very differently than if you were at a rock show or a comedy night. We all reflection to the setting we go. Even in the US, if you go for a Bill Burr show, the audience knows what they’re expecting.”
“It has never been bizarrely strange or completely opposite. Also for me who has been churning out material year after year, most are so aligned with how I talk, what I say, what I do. So they are already convinced when I’m talking. Also since I perform in my own native language, you connect much deeper on the cultural context than if I was just saying ‘oh I went to the city and the traffic’s too much’ The story is more personal.”
Zakir Khan’s performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Sunday April 19, at NRG Arena, 1 NRG Parkway. For more information, call 832-667-1400 or visit nrgpark.com. $117-212.
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