Zakir Khan – Niyat, Mehnat, Rehmat, Barkat
(#ZakirKhan on #BeerBiceps)
#standup #socialmediagod
Zakir Khan is a smooth talker. His talk is lubricated with humility and spiced up with ‘zeeravan’. Zakir has sold himself well- he offers himself as a full package- references of warm and lovable upbringing, presence of a definite moral compass, a poetic manner drawing from psycholo-analytic understanding, an understated but obvious tinge of lust a la Emraan Hashmi, and a well-rounded jocular manner with good accent behoving his Indorean roots. He manages to come across as a profound thinker, someone who has the ability to drop nuggets on unrequited love, friendship, relationships, social media and morality, all by virtue of being a meticulous observer of what happens around him. That is the sin qua non of his charm- mixing barkat, niyat, mehnat, rehmat, mohabbat and vasiyat, and regurgitating it all as stand-up comedy. Don’t tell me he is not already SRK of social media circus. If he is not, with time he shall be.
HE shall be, if he keeps his counsel on political issues, and does not try to pontificate on how should people pray or vote. Zakir claims it is his big brotherly intent that endears him to the masses. His audience looks towards him to mouth their doubts and concerns, and subsequently provide genuine solutions. All boys are his bros. All girls are either bhabhis or would-bees. Adults are his chachas, tayas, mausis, mamis and all. He is one of you- related, relatable, and one who wants even his doubters and haters to be happy. Zakir has one simple advice for the budding performers- practice as much as you can, bore the people around you to death and do not bother about brickbats. It is only by hours of practising can you learn the art of conversation.
Zakir Khan has no qualms about himself like he can be the answer to Bollywood’s troubles, or that he can influence how comedy is done on celluloid. No sir, he admits, the Bollywoodwallahs have been around for fifty years. They know what works, and what shall work, and even if not, Zakir himself has hardly any experience of the medium. So why the hell should the industry pin hopes on someone who has zilch experience, and not try to wriggle out of current blues. Zakir’s favourite film is Hum Apke Hain Kaun- not because Madhuri looked ravishingly beautiful in it, or because the songs are so hummable, rather for Salman Khan’s awkward dialogues and abrupt delivery, and weird body language. That is one cinematic challenge right there- to watch this Rajshree classic in light of this discussion, and analyse Salman’s performance.
There is something deeply refreshing, and positive about Zakir Khan. He talks about visual arts in the age of social media and the viral phenomenon. At its core, the essence of true art remains the same. If an artist can create something lasting that makes the admirer empathise with the thought process of the maker, what we have on our platter is art. His ambition is unmistakable, and his confidence is obvious. It remains to be seen if he can create something that is timeless, and helps him leave indelible impression upon the audience.
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