Zakir Khan: ‘My title didn’t have my name in it’

He is known as the comedy scenersquos lsquoSakt laundarsquo but meeting him is a truly warm experience At least thatrsquos how we felt when we caught up with Zakir Khan to discuss Aapka Apna Zakir After years of standup comedy he makes his television debut with the show While conversations with the comedian always leave you in splits they can also stir your emotions Khan hopes to do just that with his new show Viewing it as the next learning in his life he talks about manifesting this project his numerous objections to its name and why he is unaffected by the showrsquos popularityEdited excerpts from the interviewHow long did you prepare for the showI started preparing three months ago I returned from Europe in May and by the end of the month we had begun working on itIs this your concept or did the channel suggest itOf course itrsquos mine laughs It began with imagining positive scenarios from my life This was one of my affirmations or manifestationsWhat exactly were your affirmationsI hoped to host a TV show this bigWho did you initially want as guestsI imagined everyone from Shah Rukh Khan to Sachin Tendulkar and Zakir Hussain If wersquore thinking why not think bigIs the showrsquos name your ideaThe name wasnrsquot my idea I wanted something else I was democratic with my team and the channelrsquos team when they came up with this name They said it was the best name and I disagreed I kept offering alternatives but they insisted it wasnrsquot as good as Aapka Apna Zakir I thought if I fought for this I might lose out on some bigger negotiation later I decided it was a smaller battle and gave in We all have only one veto Now I like the name My title didnrsquot have my name in themWas negotiating with the channel difficultIt wasnrsquot much of a negotiation it was a collaborative effort Theyrsquove been nice and kind theyrsquove given me a lot of space which I hadnrsquot expected laughs Everything transpired smoothly Whenever we didnrsquot like something and asked for a change they readily agreedIs it easier to deal with people on TV or OTTItrsquos always about where you are in the power equation Itrsquos easier for some people and difficult for others As you climb the ladder things become easierWhere do you think yoursquove reached on the ladderItrsquos become easier for me but I donrsquot act it Irsquom welleducated wellread and aware I strongly advocate that all artistes learn the tricks of the trade I had no clue about these things when I started out but Irsquove learned every day My team and managers have taught me a lot We discuss every project as a collaborative effort People Irsquove worked with have helped me understand what goes on behind closed doorsHow has the reaction been to Aapka Apna ZakirEveryone is saying theyrsquore happy Irsquom neither very happy nor am I sad If we stop the show after two episodes Irsquoll be okay Or if we do 300 episodes Irsquod still be the same My parents taught me to be like this I should never be overwhelmed When the intent is to learn nothing else matters Therersquos a lot in the world to learn This show is part of my journey There is no single definite destinationWhat have you learned on this journeyItrsquos more about technique than creativity Every medium has its advantages and disadvantages When Irsquom performing to an audience of 10000 I ensure each one of them feels as if theyrsquore sitting with me in their drawing room Itrsquos also about my eye level how Irsquom looking around what people are saying and how Irsquom behavingmdashitrsquos a craft People cracked the code ages ago Irsquom still learningHow would you describe Aapka Apna ZakirUltimately the show is about having a conversation with my friends without pressuring them to reveal things When Irsquom talking to Karan Johar I want to know what convinced his father to leave his mithai ki dukaan to become a filmmaker It was about understanding his lineage what his regrets are and what makes him happy It was a learning experience for me because all we know is that he is a big director who is friends with X and parties with Y My magic comes in when I talk to him on a human level and give him respect Or when Karan Johar shares the couch with wrestler and fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuria who has minimal resourcesmdashthat frame represents my India I love conversations I talk to at least 40 to 45 new people every month Irsquove been doing it for the last 25 years and I remember each one of them