Introduction
As in any society, Urdu language theatre or stage show was one of the defining characteristics of the society. Originating from the city of Karachi, it was famous through the South Asia and with immigrant population of South Asians through the globe. However, in Pakistan, there was an emphasis on full comedy shows, usually implementing insult comedy. By the mid-90s, Urdu stage shows started seeing their numbers dwell and it quickly went out of the scene. However by the beginning of the 2000s, the industry shifted to Punjab. Originating in the city of Lahore, and eventually being staffed by comedians from Faisalabad, the Industry saw a sudden boom. This was fueled by 'Dances', where similar to an Urdu/Punjabi movie a song would start in the middle of the scene. Shown throughout Lahore on Cable operators, it quickly spread to the rest of Punjab and eventually the world wide immigrant Punjabi population, through the medium of Compact Discs and increasingly DVD.
Contents
Format
Punjabi Stage Shows can be best described as semi-improvisational insult comedy. With a loose but complete story, comedians often go out of character while indiscriminately insulting the rest of the crew. Very often jokes and replies are made on the stage, leading to the crew bursting in laughter. There is even interaction with the audience at time.