Zakir Khan recalls when he was asked to get off the stage within two minutes: ‘When I went on the stage to perform for the first time…’

He shared, “During my childhood, we used to get CDs of Raju bhai, Johnny bhai and other comedians and I used to love watching them. Then, during my school days, Laughter Challenge started and whenever anyone would try to be funny, my friends would pull his or her leg asking them to try the show as a joke. I would religiously watch that show and imagine how it would feel to perform like the comedians on the show. Watching the show made me think of it as a cakewalk, but later, when I tried for real, I understood how hard it is.”

Zakir then revealed that during the early days of his career, he was once asked to get off the stage. He shared, “When I went on the stage to perform for the first time, I was removed from the stage within 2 minutes (laughs). In front of your friends and family, you might be funny because they know the context of your joke and could relate to it, but when it comes to a completely unknown audience, it is a huge task to narrate a story and make them laugh and only a true comedian can do that.”

Zakir then credited the show’s host Kapil Sharma for making it to the mainstream with his comedy and opening up avenues for other comedians. “The fire that Kapil bhai sparked has lightened all of us. Comedy was never given that much importance but today, there is no big film that does not come on this stage for promotion. For this, I would like to congratulate Kapil bhai,” he concluded.

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