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THE MAN WHO LAUNCHED A THOUSAND LAUGHS

He will be staging his last show today. The three comedy plays that are being staged are Behrupiya, Umrao Jaan and Chekkar pe Chekkar. Renowned for his ready wit, Omer Sharif is a man who dons many a hat (15 according to him). He is a producer, writer, actor, director, poet, compere etc. Apart from stage shows, he has done several TV plays, serials and films.

Omer Sharif is the writer and director of all the three popular dramas and the cast comprises of talented artists from Pakistan. Elucidating on the motive behind the drama festival, Omer Sharif states, “The fundamental purpose of holding this festival is to bring the Pakistani and Indian communities closer. The aim is to cement the burgeoning friendship between the two countries and nurture the current friendly environment. It is my desire to bring both the communities together and keep out differences. With this aim in mind I am planning to bring in both Pakistani and Indian youngsters together for the last show on the last day. Media from the two countries will be invited. My endeavour is to rope in some celebrities from both the nations. The whole concept behind this drama festival is to promote peace and friendship between Pakistan and India. It is not being conducted for any commercial reasons.”

On being questioned as to why he chose to stage the dramas in Dubai he replies, “Dubai is an ideal place to promote friendship between the two nations as a lot of Indians and Pakistanis live here. They are more agreeable and open to this concept and hence you can achieve more. We can be successful in this attempt.” In keeping with his efforts to promote more interaction and friendship between the two countries’ film fraternities Omer Sharif is working on 4- 5 films with Indian film personalities. He is acting and writing dialogues for the film Golmaal — the fun never ends, starring Suniel Shetty and directed by Yusuf Khan. He is the producer-writer for the Masood Ali directed film 48 hours in Chicago starring Indian actor Samir Dattani.

Omer Sharif is popular amongst the Indian film fraternity as well as Indian audiences as was proven by his successful act at the Zee Cine Awards, 2005.

“It was a very nice experience for me as I performed before so many Indian superstars. It was a very honourable and respectable moment for me, which is unforgettable. The Indian film stars are very cooperative and friendly and I really liked working with them,” he said.

Often referred to as the King of Comedy in Pakistan, Omer Sharif reveals that comedy is no child’s play. “Comedy is very difficult as you cannot train for it nor can you get a diploma in comedy. This is something that is in-born and natural. This is God’s boon to me. It’s been 30 years since I started writing and doing comedy but I still do not know how I am able to do it. I work in 15 fields — writing, direction, production, acting, poetry writing, compereing, music direction, film direction, script writing. I find all of them equally challenging and interesting and I feel I have been born and destined to do this.”

Defining comedy he says, “It is the art of trying to hold the rainbow in your hand, you love its colours and you dearly wish to keep them in your grasp, but if you want the colours you will loose the essence, you will have to hold the rainbow softly, so that you do not overdo it, this is the whole craft.” Inspiration for this talented artist is derived from many things — “Beautiful faces, stimulating and good conversations, good fragrance, and a peaceful environment.”

Barriers are being lowered across both sides of the border; the atmosphere seems conducive for peace and friendship. Omar Sharif is optimistic, “The future for both film fraternities is bright and shining and I’m sure there will be more interaction between us.” The fruition of Omer Sharif’s dreams can only bring more entertainment into the lives of fans on both sides of the border.