HYDERABAD: Dakhni comedy is picking up pace in Hyderabad, decades after several legendary poets showed the world how it’s done, say the khattar Hyderabadi stand-up comics in the city. CE speaks to a few ‘remnants’ of Dakhni comedy, who are working towards reviving the art form and training budding comics for behtareen and authentic performances.
Explaining what Dakhni comedy is, Syed Bashaar, who has more than 11.2k followers on Instagram, says, “In simple terms, it’s comedy centred around experiences of those in the Deccan plateau, especially Hyderabad, and in the language we use and love the most — Dakhni. This kind of comedy is not new, the city had some of the best Urdu poets who made the Dakhni language and art famous. Today, most Hyderabadi comedy is character-centric and slapstick in either English, Hindu or Telugu. But we know and have realised how audiences love khattar Hyderabadi content, and have been working towards bringing about more of that.”
Dakhni comedy is different from other genres in not just its language. “It does have several other distinct features. Our style, kind of, matches a lot of South Indian comedians — we have similar experiences at school, grew up in a conservative environment and are especially known for smarter jokes and anecdotal comedy. All these, coupled with our dialect and lilt, make it more relatable, where the audience almost feels like it’s an inside joke between the comedian and themselves,” shares Sai Sameer, another Dakhni comedian.
Omer Ali talks about why Hyderabad needs Dakhni comedy. “Comedy, anywhere in the world, in some way or the other, represents the comic’s culture. People know so much about the crime rate in Gurugram, Andheri in Mumbai, Gujju sweets, the South Delhi accent, Bengaluru’s airport that’s far away from their city, etc. Sadly, not many know much about Hyderabad aside from biryani. Dakhni comedy can change that.”
Speaking about how the audience has lately been loving the genre, Fawad Hussain says, “People have come to realise that not all quality content can be available on YouTube and reels for free. Earlier, there was the ‘joke sunne paise dena hai kya?’ plague, but that has changed today.”
The group of four friends — Bashaar, Sameer, Omer and Fawad, to bolster this idea, started something called the Straight Face Rehab. “We not only organise open mics and competitions, but also hold workshops. We aim to hone budding artistes’ work by encouraging them to expand their writing, work on their syntax, etc. Our recent Hyderabadi Stand-Up Comedy Challenge had the winner take home Rs 10,000 and the runner-up won a thermocol key (Bashaar laughs), all from our pockets. Despite the nuksaan, we don’t mind creating a stage for the next-gen to take over and grow beyond Hyderabad.”
When asked what their long-term goal is, they quip, “Earning!” Until they get there, they have other jobs to help them pay their bills. For more of their work, one can check their Instagram handles for regular updates. “We have a small home-studio in Saidabad, and sometimes perform at an auditorium at Abids. We also perform at other places like The Joint, Banjara Hills and will be performing at Aaromale this Saturday at 7 pm.”