Join comedian Haseeb Khan to dive deep into nostalgia about your school life and friendships

Bhopal-based stand-up comic Haseeb Khan comes to Hyderabad with his first hour-long solo show Dropout, which is all about school life, relationships and friendships. Haseeb recalls his college days and tells us, “I am a two-time engineering dropout! I did my first year of college and dropped out! I then joined another college after a gap of one year, and dropped out in two years!”

Inspired from his experiences and bouncing back in life, the show is sure to keep you glued to the seats. 

“I majorly draw my inspiration from my life, my mistakes and my flaws,” Haseeb continues, as he believes making jokes about himself is integral to building a rapport with the audience. “By listening to me crack jokes on myself, the audience understands that I am just as human as they are, and they will not get offended at a possible roast,” he explains.

Haseeb relies on spontaneity for his jokes. He writes some, and some just naturally happen on stage. “Whenever I get a funny thought, or observe something which I could possibly make a joke of, I write it down and then just forget about it. After a few days, I get back to it and then structure them into jokes,” he says. As most of his material is based on his life, he finds this method very effective.

The artiste’s comedy is as experimental as his journey has been. Haseeb has experimented with multiple professions and hobbies until he found his ikigai. His love and curiosity for trying out new things led him to take up comedy. However, curiosity comes with its own challenges. In Haseeb’s case, the biggest challenge was to strike a balance between his business and his passion. “I had to keep my shop shut on the days I went for open mics. I had to shut my source of income while investing in comedy, which became financially a little challenging until I found my groove,” he shares.

Interestingly, Haseeb thought of discontinuing comedy when he did not receive the response he was looking for at open mics. But soon enough, he realised how much he enjoyed going on stage and making people laugh. This, he says, was the “turning point” in his life.

Haseeb, also a participant in India’s Laughter Championship, aims to reach greater heights in comedy by “opening up” on stage a lot more. He concludes by saying that the audience will leave the show learning how to bounce back and laugh at their own tragedies.

Tickets at 499. September 6, 7.30 pm. At The Comedy Theatre, Gachibowli.

Story by Ananya Mehta