Srinagar: Many lost their jobs during the Covid lockdown, but for Behzaad Malla it was a blessing in disguise as he discovered his stand-up comedy skills.
At a time when social media is flooded with several Kashmir valley-based comedy groups, Behzaad’s solo acts stand out.
Though there are a couple of other popular stand-up comedians, Behzaad plays multiple characters all by himself. He can be seen playing a father, son, and mother in a single act and as a result, his short videos attract views millions.
“When Covid lockdown was underway, I realized that wedding functions with wazwaan were still going on. That’s when I came up with a video about how weddings were being held during the Covid lockdown in Kashmir. The video was liked and that encouraged me to do more acts,” said Behzaad.
He said he got more encouragement when his videos started crossing the million mark.
“My video titled ‘10th Pass’ got over 1.3 million views on Facebook alone and it garnered thousands of views on YouTube too. Few other videos like ‘Private School Fee’ too got over a million views. It means a lot as I do solo acts. You can see that I play multiple characters and my comic timing and satire have been appreciated,” he said.
Though Behzaad also works for a private company, he said he wanted to be the ‘No.1 stand-up comedian’.
“Now that people watch my acts on Facebook and YouTube, I get invited to stand-up shows. I receive a lot of appreciation and now I want to be the No. 1 stand-up comedian,” he said.
Behzaad’s stand-up acts have earned him the title ‘Kapil Sharma of Kashmir’ among the netizens in Kashmir.
“Once again a Master Stroke! It will not be unfair to call you the Kapil Sharma of Kashmir. You are astounding in what you are doing. Keep up the good work brother. (sic)” commented Showkeen Wani on Facebook while reacting to a video of Behzaad.
Besides comedy, netizens are appreciating Behzaad for coming up with social messages during his acts.
“Your videos are absolute with great message and content is always amazing. Love u bro (sic),” Hilal Khan.
