There is dancing and mad one-liners and complete chaos on stage. The actors run about, flirt, fight and generally revel in being gloriously, hilariously silly. After winning rave reviews last year with Monkey Business, theatre director, actor and writer Yasir Hussain and his troupe have returned to theatre with So Suite and, once again, they have the audience rolling in their seats with laughter.
The play’s narrative can now be categorised as following Yasir Hussain’s signature style: burlesque, raucous, sometimes witty, sometimes mindless, laden with innuendos and pointed, current jokes. The one-liners come fast: digs at Karachi’s notorious lack of cleanliness, jokes about actor and producer Humayun Saeed and TV host Fiza Ali, actor Faysal Quraishi’s remarkable weight loss and a sardonic nod at the prevalence of ‘black money’ and so on.
Yasir has often expressed his admiration for the madcap Umer Sharif’s stage dramas of yore, where the focus would just be on making the audience laugh. In this vein, he hasn’t bothered with being politically correct. The humour isn’t sanitised, vetted and weighed so that it doesn’t offend — this hare-brained gang is here to make you laugh and not take anything too seriously.
So Suite’s initial run took place in Lahore, followed by a few days’ tryst in Multan, after which it touched down in Karachi. Even the jokes travelled. Speaking after the first performance, Yasir explains that the script is tweaked according to the city the play is taking place in: “The phone ringtone in the Karachi show is of Hania Aamir’s song ‘Pablo’ — in Lahore it was something else.”
With the stage play So Suite, Yasir Hussain is back doing what he does best: delivering fast, irreverent comedy designed for live audiences. The actor, director and writer talks theatre, timing, Umer Sharif and why this is his time to be on stage
It is a small detail but an important one. Much of the appeal of Yasir’s theatre lies in its immediacy. The jokes belong to the moment — they are written for the audience sitting in front, in the city where it is being performed and about the things people are talking about right now.
MADE FOR THE STAGE
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that theatre has always been a sort of second home for Yasir. Acting in television dramas and films, hosting, writing credits, directing projects and the occasional candid statement in an interview may have made him a familiar name, but stage is where his particular brand of comic timing has perhaps found its most natural habitat.
One remembers him holding the fort as Akbar in playwright Anwar Maqsood and director Dawar Mehmood’s theatrical production of Aangan Terrha. Yasir’s association with Mehmood’s Kopykats Productions has extended to many other hugely popular stage productions, including Pawnay 14 August, Sawa 14 August and Half Plate.
In thespian circles, it’s a known fact that when Yasir Hussain’s name is in the cast of a stage play, tickets sell faster. Theatre has always been a significant part of Yasir’s repertoire, so it’s no surprise that, last year, he launched his own theatrical venture, called Lo Iq Films, with Monkey Business.
Yet, for all his obvious affinity for theatre, Yasir has never wanted to be defined by a single medium.
He muses, “I think I have had my successes with film too. At least once every two years, I am seen in a movie. I enjoy producing TV dramas and hosting. At the same time, I have never wanted to be stuck in a rut. There was a time when I was hosting a show for Hum TV and I could have continued to do so, but I did not want to risk being known primarily as a host.”
I insist that, on stage particularly, his work is distinctive. Does he not feel that? That his comic timing sets him apart from many of his peers? He agrees.
“Yes, comic timing is very important. The way a sentence is structured is sometimes the key to it being funny. When I write a play, that’s when I realise why playwrights such as Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar throw a fuss when their scripts are tweaked. In particular sentences, the entire impact depends on how the words are joined together, the impact that they leave.”
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Yasir continues: “I have honed my comic timing over the years, and it is essential to a performance on stage. The late Umer Sharif’s timing was impeccable. However, I once met him in his later years, and he was trying to deliver jokes with the same promptness, but it made me sad to see that sometimes his timing would weaken.
“That’s when I realised that there is no point in saving away jokes, setting them aside for a later performance. Right now, I am in my prime, I can deliver one-liners one after the other. I can perform live for nearly an hour. This is my time to be on stage.”
Yasir’s stamina certainly is something one wonders about as he races about the stage, never missing a beat in the mad romp that categorises his particular theatrical template. In Monkey Business, he was on stage most of the time. In So Suite, he gives himself a break for a few scenes, letting the rest of the cast handle the story before returning to the fray.
“It can be exhausting,” says Yasir. “When I step backstage after a scene, I sometimes pause to catch my breath. And after the show, a lot of times, people from the audience come to meet me and I see videos of me with them, smiling weakly. You have to put in so much energy and make sure everything is timed right — it can take its toll.”
Did he deliberately write So Suite’s script in a way that there would be considerable scenes where he would not be on stage?
“Yes, I wanted the rest of the cast to carry the story too,” admits Yasir. “I want to prepare new actors who can share the stage with me and, sometimes, also perform all on their own.”
NOT EXACTLY POLITICALLY CORRECT
Did he worry that certain jokes in his script might offend audience members? “No, I don’t think about this,” retorts Yasir. “And I think the audience isn’t getting offended either. Every day, after the show, I meet people who tell me they laughed throughout.
“Our shows have done very well in Lahore, Multan and, now, Karachi. Humour created within boundaries is like serving food without salt. It would be bland.” He adds, “Yes, there are jokes that tilt towards being ‘bold’, but the first show in Karachi was staged before our friends and family and they weren’t offended. This makes me hopeful that the audiences that come in on other days will also just enjoy the show.”
And does he sometimes end up laughing while writing his script? “You know, I have never found my script to be funny,” he confesses.
“Till the very last day of rehearsals, I keep asking my actors if a certain scene is funny or not. I usually come up with a basic script and, while we rehearse it, I start adding more jokes. There is no day when I am not anxious before stepping on stage. This feeling drives me to do a good job every day. The day I become over-sure of myself, the performance will suffer.”
Does he manage to extract the same level of dedication from his actors?
“They all work very hard,” Yasir concedes, “but there have been times when an actor has particularly received a lot of applause one day but the next day, they just don’t perform well. I think that a lot of people, after they get a tiny bit of praise, they start believing that they are Dilip Kumar! This overconfidence can really affect their performance.”
He then points out another issue that keeps coming up with actors. “It is also exhausting when I am working with actors who simultaneously have TV drama commitments. There are times when we have waited till 11 at night for members of the cast to turn up after wrapping up their TV drama shoots.
“I understand that they have other work, but I am very particular about treating my cast well. They get paid well and in advance, and when we are travelling, I put them up at good hotels and take care of their transport and meals. I try to facilitate them the best that I can but, in return, I expect them to be focused on their work.”
He elaborates why he feels actors should give as much importance to theatre. “TV has its pull, but a single scene where an actor performs well might get lost in the overall episode. On stage, that scene will win immediate applause. There is nothing like it.”
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ‘WITH IT’
Both of Yasir’s theatrical productions have been huge hits. Why hasn’t he considered releasing videos of the plays on YouTube, like Umer Sharif’s plays used to be available on video cassettes?
“Back then, people would sit and watch entire plays for hours — now, they watch two-minute reels,” Yasir points out. “People enjoy seeing the performance on stage, but I believe that they would not be as entertained if the same play were to be uploaded in its entirety on YouTube.
“Also, people find the jokes funny because they are relevant. In Monkey Business, I had quipped about [actor] Danish Taimoor because, back then, his controversial ‘filhaal’ [for the time being] quote had been making the rounds. Today, that joke won’t work. People have moved on. I will now joke about other things.
“The strength of the comedy relies heavily on it being very current,” adds Yasir. “If I stage this same play a few months from now, I would change a lot of the jokes, according to what is being discussed at that time.”
In between So Suite’s multi-city theatrical run, Yasir also managed to squeeze in a trip to Thailand, where he shot for the forthcoming movie Jawani Phir Nahin Ani 3 (JPNA 3). He is one of the new additions to the cast of the popular movie series, which is currently being filmed and is tentatively scheduled to be released early next year.
“I flew directly from Multan to shoot abroad for Jawani Phir Nahin Ani 3. Some of the shooting is still left. It has been a great experience. I have learnt so much, working with Humayun Saeed, Fahad Mustafa and Nadeem Baig.”
Also in the works is a movie that Yasir has co-written, which he also plans to produce, direct and star in: 5,000 Mein Shaadi! “My elder sister says that I should try to bring out one theatrical production every year, so that is something which I am considering,” he divulges. “However, I don’t know how long I will be able to do this without an investor coming on board.
“It’s a risky, exhausting business,” he says more sombrely. “A show can get cancelled if the city’s law-and-order situation is in turmoil or if it rains. Actors might fall ill and be unable to perform in a show. There is a lot that has to be taken care of and maybe I won’t be able to do this consistently, simply on my own strength.”
That would be a pity. Yasir’s brand of theatre is a breath of fresh air. Here’s an example: in one particular sequence in So Suite, dancers come on stage and perform a routine. Then, Yasir addresses them, “Bhai aap loag tau jao.” [Guys, please leave]. They all retreat, except for one, who goes on to perform a few cartwheels before he departs.
At this, Yasir quips, “Yeh woh kitanu hai jo saabun se bhi nahin marta!” [He’s the germ that even soap can’t kill!]. It’s a witticism that comes at just the right time, pointedly referring to those ubiquitous Hindi language TV soap ads which declare that they kill off 99 percent of all known germs.
That’s quintessential Yasir Hussain: irreverent, immediate and deliciously, inimitably funny.
So Suite is being staged at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi auditorium from September 16 to 27, 2026
The writer is a fashion and entertainment journalist with over two decades of experience. She can be reached at maliharehman1@gmail.com
Published in Dawn, ICON, September 27th, 2026
