“Standup Girl” is not your run-of-the-mill Pakistani drama. The entire setup and feel of this show is different – and honestly, it’s even quite different from what’s expected from Kashif Nisar. “Standup Girl” follows the journey towards success of an aspiring standup comedian and an aspiring rapper and how they they draw inspiration and motivation from their families – much to their own dismay. Starring Sohail Ahmed, Zara Noor Abbas, Daniyal Zafar, Adnan Shah Tipu, Saba Faisal, Saqib Sumeer, Tamkinat, Saad Azhar and others, the story has been written by Awais Ahmed and Adeel Afzal and directed by Kashif Nisar.
In episode 13, everything has gone wrong with Ameer Khan (Sohail Ahmed) and his family’s plans to build a new room for Zara (Zara Noor Abbas). While they had begun to see dreams of things falling into place, one by one, their dreams have been shattered with their finances falling apart. As a last resort, Ameer Khan, his sons and protegee visit a local goon who has stolen their land in an effort to get the land back. This plan greatly backfires, as the goon decides he’s going to kill all four men – unless Ameer Ali can make him and his men laugh. This sequence is ridiculously enjoyable, laugh-out-loud funny and just a treat to watch. Comedy is not an easy genre and it’s a great feat when the viewer does not want the scene to come to an end.
Meanwhile, Zara has successfully begun working at the café and her boss is all praises for her. Kabir’s (Daniyal Zafar) affection for Zara is quite visible at this point and it would not be a long shot to call him her fan – and he refers to himself in that way too. Zara’s enjoyment for her work inspires Kabir on a creative level, but is that all that’s there under the surface or does Kabir already have long-standing feelings for Zara? This relationship is really sweet to watch, because Kabir and Zara’s banter doesn’t feel forced at any point. Both Zara Noor Abbas and Daniyal Zafar appear to be comfortable as co-actors and share a warm chemistry that comes through in their scenes together.
“Standup Girl” isn’t a show which is necessarily storyline driven in the way one would expect. This is the sort of show where the audience watches the episode first for the story and then once again for the comedy, it has been written with so many layers. There’s a different sort of enjoyment in how this narrative is playing out, as the situations being depicted are serious (death, extortion, poverty, etc), but the way it’s being presented is both comedic and heartwarming. We are growing to love these characters, specifically Ameer Ali and his family who initially looked as chaotic to us as they did to Zara. Whether it’s Sohail Ahmed (the great), Adnan Shah Tipu, Saqib Sumeer, Saad Azhar, Zara Noor Abbas, Daniyal Zafar or really any actor in this show, each and every performer is pulling their weight to make this a thoroughly enjoyable show. One thing is certain – we’re not in any hurry for “Standup Girl” to wind up quickly and hope this show has many more episodes to keep us entertained for the weeks to come.
