Stars in the City: Dilli ka ladka Zakir Khan at his candid best, gives lessons in love, life and likeability

When Zakir Khan is in the room, all you can expect is effortless humour, non-stop laughter, some life musings and hard-hitting poetry. And it was no different when the stand-up comedian visited HT house recently to meet the winners of HT City Stars in the City contest.

While making people laugh isn’t a rocket science for Khan, he admitted with a laugh, “If you are not good at it, it’s definitely a stressful job… You’re re under constant pressure, struggling what to say next.” When it comes to comedy, Khan applies a simple theory, which he happily shared with his fans. “More than being funny, comedy is about likeability. If there’s a person who’s extremely funny, but you don’t like him, no matter how funny his joke is, you won’t laugh. At the same time, if your friend cracks the most stupid joke, you will laugh uncontrollably. People who are likeable automatically become humorous,” explained Khan, as he sat for a hilarious conversation with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor (Entertainment & Lifestyle), Hindustan Times.

Keeping it real and relatable

What has made Khan a household name is his ability to merge personal stories with humour, making his content more relatable for the audience. He mentioned that it was a decision taken after exploring all other forms of humour. “Humour is an acquired art form and comes after a lot of practice. And I’ve tried all of it — from dark humour to dry humour to everything else, and I felt that the best option is to merge storytelling with it. Every now and then, life gives you moments to laugh about. So what could be better than that,” he said.

And that’s the advice he gave to all content creators trying to make big through social media. “Be honest, don’t try to fake anything and keep everything real. Agar aapki taraf se imaandaari nahi aayegi , toh saamne se bhi imaandari nahi aayegi,” he said.

Making of a star

A name to reckon with in standup circuit today, Khan revealed being an introvert as a child, but the “instant gratification” he felt after his joke landed well, motivated him to start working on his personality. When asked by a fan about how he groomed his personality and overcame the fear of rejection, Khan shared, “Main apmaan se nahi darta. I believe bhagwaan ne izzat aur zillat ka quota banaaya hai, jitna jaldi yeh quota khatam kar doge, utni hi jaldi zindagi achhi ho jaayegi. And that has helped me grow. Moreover, my risk-taking appetite is good. When people take risks, they’re not prepared for the loss, but I never regret it. Once I’ve taken a decision, I’m ready for the consequences.”

Hidden singer in him

Khan was also asked by one of the winners to sing a few lines, and that’s when he enlightened the audience with a lesser-known anecdote. “I am really fond of singing,” he said and went on to explain why he does not sing in public.”My grandfather once asked me to sing a bandish. As soon as I started, he called my father and said, ‘Ismail, ye gale se nabeena hai, isse gaane nahi dena’ (laughs). So, I can’t sing. I started learning sitar at the age of three and practised it for 19 years. Papa jab aate hain, I do riyaz but that’s about it,” said the Chacha Vidhayak Hain Humare actor, who ended the session with poetic lines from his original piece Bahut Masoom Ladki Hai, Ishq Ki Baat Nahi Samajhti.