No one can argue that Fifty-Fifty is/was the best comedy skit show in the history of Pakistani television. Two of the key members of its team were Ismail Tara and Majid Jehangir who used to assume different roles on the programme and had certain regular skits as well. One of the popular gigs of the extremely talented duo was the “kya kah rahe ho babuwa” sketch in which they appeared side-by-side taking a jibe at different aspects of daily life.

Now, it’s been more than a quarter of a century when Fifty-Fifty was a rage. For some strange reason someone has tried to rekindle the magic of the two comedians by making a new show in which they feature as the famous Bihari men. It’s such a tackily done effort that you feel sorry for Ismail Tara and Majid Jehangir since they’re no spring chicken(s) anymore and TV audiences have changed big time.

The show is called Ajab Keh Rahe Ho Bhaee and after watching it, it seems as if both the great artistes have been frozen in a time zone that is anything but contemporary. The script is bland; the mimicry is predictable; and the parodies are puerile. This is not a criticism but a sincere assessment because Ismail Tara and Majid Jehangir are comedy legends and seeing them doing things that don’t befit their stature hurts.