There are no throwaway lines for Pakistani funnyman Danish Ali

The Pakistani stand-up comedian is to perform in Dubai along with Salman Qureshi and Saad Haroon.

Danish Ali, Pakistani stand-up comedian. Courtesy Danish Ali

“I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, want to thank all the traditional parents of our country,” says Pakistani stand-up comedian and internet sensation, Danish Ali.

“It’s because of them and their insistence that their children become doctors, engineers and MBAs that the entertainment field has been left wide open, allowing people like me to become stars. Seriously. If it wasn’t for them, I might not have made it so big. ”

The actor, writer, director, producer and radio personality doesn’t take himself – or much else – too seriously. His self-deprecating humour spares nothing. From typically Pakistani subjects to those with a broader appeal, Ali’s got it all covered. That is reflected in his social-media stats: almost half a million likes on his Facebook page, more than 20 million views on his YouTube channel, plus 3 million more each month.

UAE fans will see plenty of his sketches and observational comedy in person when Ali performs on Saturday as part of The Brown Party, a Pakistani comedy showcase, alongside Dubai’s Salman Qureshi, and fellow Pakistani, Saad Haroon, at the Ductac Theatre.

“I guess people just get me,” Ali shrugs when asked about his success. “Even my parents got me. So much so that they were wondering why I wanted to study to become a doctor. They really didn’t want to send me to that expensive medical school. I insisted on going.

“It wasn’t until I got to the end of my first year and was about to take my final exams that I questioned myself: what am I doing? I was recording a show instead of studying. Anyway, you can say that I am kind of in the same field – after all, laughter is the best medicine.”

Ali, who recently moved to Canada from Pakistan, shuttles between the two countries, maintaining a busy work schedule creating original content and sponsored videos for his social media channels and also performing at live events and filmed shows.

As for his UAE trip, Ali says the show will be like catching up with old friends.

“The last time I performed in Dubai was also with Saad,” he says. “It was about four or five years ago and at the same venue. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to perform in Dubai since then, but the opportunity never presented itself. Now that it did, I jumped at it.”

Will the show feature new material to entertain his fans?

“Some new material, but not a lot,” says Ali. “I have a lot of great material that I have used at my last several shows and which has gone down extremely well, which the Dubai audience probably has no idea about. Why waste a good joke, right?

“It’s been a while since I have performed with Saad though, and never with Salman. So that’s something new the audience can expect. There will probably be a bit of improvised comedy and something totally unexpected – I can promise you that it will be something to look forward to.”

• The Brown Party is at the Dubai Community Theatre and Art Centre (Mall of Emirates) on Saturday, from 6pm to 8pm and 9pm to 11pm. Ticket prices start from Dh25 at the Ductac box-office, www.ductac.org and www.platinumlist.net

The Brown Party bill also includes an acclaimed international comic and local favourite:

Saad Haroon

Internationally-renowned and voted 'World's 2nd Funniest Man' by Laugh Factory USA in 2014, Saad Haroon was the first-ever Pakistani stand-up comedian to perform a multi-city US tour in English. He was also part of the first Pakistani improvisational comedy troupe BlackFish, and the English TV comedy show in Pakistan, The Real News.

Salman Qureshi

Dubai’s Pakistani comedian Salman Qureshi is best known on the circuit as co-creator of the improv and sketch-comedy troupe, Dubai Laughing. Last August, he launched Racy Desi, a Hinglish comedy night aimed at UAE’s Indian and Pakistani expat population.

* Ujala Ali Khan