Photos: courtesy

On March 20, Naveed's Comedy Club for the first time hosted the Dhaka Comedy Festival 2015 at Baridhara DOHS Convention Centre. The aim was to put all of the standup comedians of the city into one special event to perform. “Comedy is a must if one wants to lead a healthy lifestyle, and given the circumstances of the city we thought people need this more than ever,” says Naveed Mahbub, organiser and standup comedian.

The show started around 4 o'clock in the afternoon with Naveed Mahbub's hilarious introduction.  Jokes about ex military officials  and newly married couples and bald men who were sitting in the audience not only amused everyone but also helped to create the humorous atmosphere for the next couple of hours. He introduced comidians one by one ,roasting them as they were coming up on stage. Though all of the comedians performed excellently in the festival, Solaiman Shukhon, Ahmed Ashik and Abu Hena Rony stood out as the best performers. Abu Hena Rony amused the crowd with his village boy act and how it effects his daily life, especially infront of women. The crowed were asking for an encore as soon as they got off stage.   

Photos: courtesy

The festival included an open-mic segment where audience took a shot at being a comeidian and some of them turned out to be natural comics. “This was the first time I ever went up on stage and performed and this was by far one of the best experiences of my life,” says Morsalin Sadaf, an open- mic participant.  There were also joke bucket challenge were the comedians had to make jokes instantly on the topic they chose from the bucket. The show ended with a comedy roasting where all the comedians took part.  

Photos: courtesy

The Comedy Festival proved how despite all the hastles of life, the Bengali people still cherish a good laugh. “Standup comedy in our country is still a new concept. People tend to take some of the jokes personally though that wasn't the intention what so ever so we as comedians are still learning the art of stand up,” says Mosharraf Yafi, Comedian and organizer. He also adds, “Despite all, the response we received exceeded our expectations.”