Sami Shah

Last updated

Sami Shah
Born (1978-08-24) 24 August 1978 (age 45)
Pakistan
MediumStand-up
NationalityAustralian
Education Bachelor of Arts (English)
Alma mater University of Virginia
Years active2003–present
Employer Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Genres Improvisational, satire, observational comedy
Subject(s) Racism, religion, Islam, culture, comedy
Notable works and roles
  • Laughing Dead (podcast)
  • I, Migrant: A Comedian's Journey from Karachi to the Outback (memoir)
  • The Islamic Republic of Australia (book & radio series)

Sami Shah (born 24 August 1978) is a Pakistani-Australian stand-up comedian, writer, improvisational actor, and radio presenter. Shah was a member of the improvisational comedy group "BlackFish" created by Saad Haroon in 2002, and later performed the first solo English-language comedy show in Pakistan. He had several tours across Pakistan.

Contents

He moved to Australia in 2012, and has since hosted several podcasts and shows on ABC radio as well as writing several books, performing in comedy festivals and participating in the Jaipur Literature Festival in Adelaide. He has appeared on television in Australia, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

Early life and education

Born in Pakistan to a moderate Shia Muslim family, Shah studied English at the University of Virginia in the US. For a while after the September 11 attacks in 2001 he was drawn into Islam, partly as a reaction to its persecution and also because of his opposition to the invasion of Iraq. He moved back to Pakistan in 2002 and gradually rejected all religion and openly embraced atheism. [1]

Career in Pakistan

Stand-up

Shah joined BlackFish, a comedy troupe created by Saad Haroon, in 2003. The group of eight comics employed improvisational theatre as well as scripts, using a repertoire of characters created by each of them and performing 50 times in 2003. In 2004 they performed in the UK, representing Pakistan as part of a British Council "Connecting Futures Project". Shah co-wrote We’ve Made Contact, a half-improvised half-scripted original format play for the performance in Manchester. [2] He remained an active member until the troupe disbanded in 2006.

Shah performed his first solo show in Karachi on 13 November 2005. Entitled "Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt", it raised funds for victims of the 2005 earthquake. [3] [4] In 2006, he toured Pakistan with fellow comics Haroon and Danish Ali, in what came to be called the 3-4-5 Tour. [5] [6] His 2007 solo Karachi show spared nobody, aiming at mullahs, Pakistani culture, advertising agencies, local and international politics and various groups of people. [3] [7] [8]

In 2008, Shah hosted, wrote, produced and directed a news satire television show, News Weakly. It ran for two seasons on the 24-hour news channel Dawn News and won acclaim both locally and internationally. [9]

He later said that the government's strict blasphemy laws, incurring the death penalty, affected the content of his performances; after being accused of blasphemy by an audience member after his first stand-up gig, he never again mentioned religion while performing in Pakistan. [10]

Writing

Shah wrote for Pakistani magazines and was a columnist for The Express Tribune in 2012. [9] His regular contributions as a music critic resulted in him being a judge for the prestigious Lux Style Awards in 2006. [11]

Australia

Personal

Shah and his wife, psychologist Ishma Alvi, moved to Australia with their young daughter in 2012, partly because of the lack of freedom allowed to women and girls in Pakistan. [1] After spending some years in the small town of Northam, WA, they moved to Melbourne in 2015. They became Australian citizens in January 2017. [12] The couple divorced in 2017.

In 2019, Shah remarried, although the second marriage only lasted a few months after his wife had an affair. [13]

In 2023, Shah and his partner, Kylie Moore-Gilbert, had a daughter, Leah. Leah. In October 2023, the family was the subject of an episode of the ABC Television program, Australian Story. [14]

Although an atheist, Shah has self-identified as a "cultural Muslim", saying that it's part of his background and he loves it. He also describes himself as a "serial blasphemer", and embraces the freedom he has in Australia "to talk openly about the major issues that need to be addressed in Islam". [10]

Stand-up

When in Western Australia, Shah travelled around the state doing comedy gigs, [1] and he later made a name for himself poking fun at his adopted town at the biggest comedy festivals in the country. [15]

In 2013 he won Best Local Act at the Perth International Comedy Festival and in 2016 Best Comedy WA 2016 Fringe World. [16] He appeared at the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. [17]

Speaking engagements

In January 2014, Shah gave a talk at TedX in Melbourne entitled "The Unseen Laugh", in which he talks about some of his experiences in Pakistan and Western Australia, Australian attitudes towards asylum seekers, and using comedy to change people's perspectives. [16]

In November 2019, Shah will be a presenter and participant in panel discussions at "JLF in Adelaide", the first time that the Jaipur Literary Festival had been presented in Australia. [18]

Writing

In July 2014, he published an autobiography entitled I, Migrant: A Comedian's Journey from Karachi to the Outback, [19] which was shortlisted for the 2015 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards NSW Multicultural Award [20] [21] as well as the Russell Prize for Humour Writing. [22]

In 2016 he published his first foray into young adult fiction, Fire Boy, with its sequel Earth Boy released in 2017. [23]

In July 2017, The Islamic Republic of Australia was published. It seeks to dispel the myth that there is a single monolithic entity representing a typical Muslim in Australia, and attempts to describe the many types of Muslims, who differ in nationality of origin, the type of Islam they practise and individual personalities. He talked to academics, Islamic leaders and public figures when researching the book. Written in a humorous style, it has chapters named "How to blaspheme" and "Apostates are people too". [10]

Radio and TV

Radio

In 2015, Shah wrote and presented a two-episode series for BBC Radio 4, entitled "Sami Shah's Beginner's Guide to Pakistan", examining Pakistan's political history. [24]

In July–August 2016, Shah wrote and presented a five-part series for ABC Radio National (RN) called "The Islamic Republic of Australia", examining the role of Islam in contemporary Australia. In it, he discussed topics like radicalisation, free speech and the hijab with moderate Muslims, Islamic preachers, ex-Muslims and Islamophobes. [25] In 2017, Richard Fidler presented a four-part "bonus" series on his Conversations radio program. [26]

In July 2016 Sami became the ABC Radio Melbourne field and social media reporter. [27]

As part of the ABC First Run initiative to produce comedy podcast programs, Shah was commissioned to host a new show called Laughing Dead. He invites comedians to talk about their worst performance experience. Notable guests on the show include Maz Jobrani, Andy Kindler, Claire Hooper, Alexei Sayle and Luke McGregor. The program was produced and edited by Courtney Carthy and broadcast from 5 October 2016. [28]

In December 2017, Shah was announced as a co-host of Breakfast with Jacinta Parsons on ABC Radio Melbourne, replacing Red Symons. [29]

In April 2019, as part of ABC RN's Earshot program, Shah presented Shutup: A free speech investigation, in which he investigates the concept and practice of all aspects of free speech in Australia and explores the nature of a double standard. In one episode, he speaks of the fear he felt of a possible fatwa being issued against him as an apostate, or being pursued by extremist ISIS supporters, likening it to fear felt by certain individuals in minority groups in Australia who have been hounded in the media by right-wing commentators and politicians and on social media by internet trolls, or even persecuted by death threats. Citing the case of Yassmin Abdel-Magied, he says that most people of colour and Muslims in the public eye have either had experience of, or a fear of "getting Yassmined", and that women in general experience this more than men. In two bonus episodes, he talks to conservative commentator Andrew Bolt and lawyer and anti-racism advocate Nyadol Nyuon. [30]

TV

Shah was on the jury for music nominations on the Pakistan Lux Style Awards TV Special 2006 [11] and 2007 TV Special (filmed in Malaysia), [31] and as host in 2010. [32]

In 2015, he appeared on the BBC Two TV panel show QI , in episode 3 (M-places) and in the compilation episode 18. [33]

In September 2017, he appeared in season 1, episode 2 of Australian comedy show Get Krack!n on ABC TV. [34]

From October 2017, Shah was a regular panellist on the Australian TV show Screen Time on ABC TV, discussing film, television and online content. [35]

Works

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Martin (comedian)</span> New Zealand comedian and writer

Anthony Francis Martin is a New Zealand comedian, writer and actor, who has had a successful TV, radio, stand-up and film career in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Ross</span> Australian comedian and radio personality

Timothy Jonathon Ross is an Australian comedian, radio host, writer and television presenter. He began his career performing stand-up comedy with Merrick Watts as part of the duo Merrick and Rosso. He is now better known as the presenter of the ABC shows Streets of Your Town and Designing a Legacy, which reflect his personal enthusiasm for design and architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sindh Madressatul Islam University</span> Historical Institute in Karachi, Sindh

Sindh Madressatul Islam University, also known as SMI University, is a university in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Founded in 1885, it is one of the oldest educational institutions in South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Zafar</span> Pakistani singer and actor

Ali Zafar is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, actor, model, producer, screenwriter and painter. He started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician, later also established a career in Bollywood and his success led many Pakistani actors to venture into Hindi films. He has received five Lux Style Awards and a Filmfare Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeba Bakhtiar</span> Pakistani actress

Zeba Bakhtiar is a Pakistani film/TV actress and a television director. She is known for her TV drama Anarkali (1988), the Bollywood romantic drama Henna (1991), and the Lollywood movie, Sargam (1995). She produced and directed a movie Babu in 2001. Zeba won the best actress Nigar Award for the movie Sargam in 1995.

Azhar Muhammad Usman is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer of Indian descent. He is a former lecturer, community activist and lawyer and has been referred to as the "Ayatollah of Comedy" and "Bin Laughin". He is best known as one third of comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny. In December 2020, Marvel Studios announced that Usman had joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, agreeing to play Najaf on the cast of the studio's Ms. Marvel original streaming series for Disney+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sammy J</span> Australian comedian

Samuel Jonathan McMillan is an Australian musical comedian, satirist, writer and radio presenter who performs under the stage name Sammy J. He embraces a variety of media in his comedy, including the use of video and self-composed music, and frequently collaborates with fellow Australian puppet comedian Randy Feltface. He has released several CDs and DVD compilations of his work; most recently the album Symphony in J Minor which was nominated for Best Comedy Release at the 2019 ARIA Awards. He has performed at comedy festivals in Australia, Edinburgh and Montreal, and has appeared on various Australian television shows, including Sammy J & Randy in Ricketts Lane, a sitcom based on the duo's touring show of the same name. He currently produces a weekly political sketch for ABC Television, satirising the news through various characters, and is the Breakfast presenter on ABC Radio Melbourne.

Saad Haroon is a Pakistani comedian, actor, and writer. He is the creator of the first ever Pakistani improvisational comedy troupe "BlackFish", and was the first Pakistani stand-up comedian to perform in English in cities across Pakistan in his tour "Saad Haroon: Very Live". Haroon created and hosted the first ever English language comedy television show in Pakistan, called The Real News. In October 2014, he was voted the second funniest person in the world, securing 59,213 votes in the Laugh Factory competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faran Tahir</span> American actor (born 1963)

Faran Haroon Tahir is a Pakistani-American actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celia Pacquola</span> Australian comedian and actress (born 1983)

Celia Pacquola is an Australian comedian, writer, presenter and actor who performs predominantly in Australia and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdullah Haroon</span> Pakistan movement leader

Sir Abdullah Haroon was a British Indian politician and businessman who made major contributions towards developing and defining the role of Muslims in economic, educational, social and political fields in the Indian subcontinent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamnoon Hussain</span> 12th President of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018

Mamnoon Hussain was a Pakistani politician and industrialist who served as the 12th President of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was first appointed Governor of Sindh in June 1999 by President Rafiq Tarar; but was removed from the post in October 1999 due to the 1999 military coup d'état. Hussain was then nominated for the presidency by the PMLN in July 2013 and was elected through an indirect presidential election. Hussain took over the presidency after an oath administered by the Chief Justice of Pakistan on 9 September 2013. Hussain maintained a low-key profile as president and his role was rarely seen in the nation's politics, although he was involved in a Polio eradication program.

Aamer Rahman is an Australian stand-up comedian of Bangladeshi descent. He is best known as one half of comedy duo Fear of a Brown Planet, along with Nazeem Hussain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ushna Shah</span> Pakistani television actress

Ushna Shah is a Pakistani-Canadian actress who works in Urdu television series. She graduated from the York University and made her acting debut in 2013 with Mere Khwabon Ka Diya. Shah gained her first recognition with the 2014 thriller romance Bashar Momin and went on to play female lead in several series, including Thoda Sa Aasman (2016), Neelam Kinaray (2016) and Ru Baru Ishq Tha (2018).

Feroze Khan is a Pakistani actor and video jockey who primarily works in Urdu television. One of Pakistan's highest-paid actors. He is the recipient of several accolades including three Lux Style Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilal Abbas Khan</span> Pakistani actor (born 1993)

Bilal Abbas Khan is a Pakistani actor who works in Urdu television. known for his portrayals of boy next door in the media, he features in the list of nation's popular personalities. Khan is the recipient of several accolades including three Lux Style Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nahid Siddiqui</span> Pakistani Kathak dancer (born 1956)

Nahid Siddiqui is an exponent of Kathak dance.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Alcorn, Gay (23 February 2019). "'I didn't get here by being polite': ABC's Sami Shah on free speech in Australia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  2. ↑ QaM (1 August 2004). "Fish out of water". Dawn. Archived from the original on 5 September 2008.
  3. 1 2 Roger, Faez (7 October 2013). "Emerging Comedic Talent of Pakistan". House of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Khan, Rayan (5 July 2011). "Saad Haroon: The revival of comedy". The Express Tribune. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "3-4-5 :: Reviewd". Islamabad Metblogs. 27 November 2006. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  6. ↑ "Bring the funny: Review". Karachi Metblogs. 30 October 2007. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  7. ↑ Zia, Urooj (29 October 2007). "What Osama bin Laden and Batman have in common: millionaires who live in a cave and fight a battle that has nothing to do with them". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "Sami Shah, Pakistani comedian, improv actor and writer". Radio New Zealand. 25 August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  9. 1 2 "The Power of the Ridiculous: Sami Shah at TEDxMargalla". YouTube. Archived from the original on 27 July 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 Mudditt, Jessica (23 June 2017). "Sami Shah on Islam, Australia and being a 'serial blasphemer'". The Guardian. Australia books blog. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  11. 1 2 Ahmed, Shoaib (30 May 2006). "Lux Style Awards nominees short-listed". Daily Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "Sami Shah becomes a citizen on Australia Day". ABC News. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  13. ↑ "Sami Shah's frustration with white people is outrageously funny in 'Cuck'". Time Out Sydney. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  14. ↑ Hawkins, Belinda (23 October 2023). "Academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert and comedian Sami Shah met on a dating app. Together, they overcame betrayal and learnt to love again". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  15. ↑ "Cracking Up". Media Spy. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  16. 1 2 "The Unseen Laugh: Sami Shah at TEDx Melbourne". YouTube. 13 January 2019. Archived from the original on 14 January 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "Sami Shah Sacrificing the Goat". Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2019. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  18. ↑ "Sami Shah". JLF in Adelaide: Each other's stories. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  19. ↑ Shah, Sami (July 2014). "I, Migrant: A comedian's journey from Karachi to the outback". Allen & Unwin. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "I, Migrant: A Comedian's Journey from Karachi to the Outback by Sami Shah: Judges' Comments". State Library of NSW. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  21. ↑ "New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards" (PDF). SL Magazine. 8 (4): 36. Summer 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  22. ↑ "2015 Shortlist (Russell Prize)". State Library of NSW. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  23. ↑ "Home". Sami Shah. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  24. ↑ "Sami Shah's Beginner's Guide to Pakistan". BBC Radio. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  25. ↑ "Earshot:The Islamic Republic of Australia". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. RN. 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  26. ↑ "Conversations with Richard Fidler: Bonus: Islamic Republic of Australia – episode 1". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 July 2017. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  27. ↑ "Jacinta Parsons and Sami Shah". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Radio. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  28. ↑ Shah, Sami. "Laughing Dead". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  29. ↑ Carmody, Broede (6 December 2017). "ABC Radio reveals Red Symons replacement". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  30. ↑ "Shutup: A free speech investigation with Sami Shah". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Earshot. 13 April 2019. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  31. ↑ "Lux Style Awards 2010" at IMDb
  32. ↑ "Lux Style Awards 2007" at IMDb
  33. ↑ "QI, M-Places, Season 13, episode 3" at IMDb
  34. ↑ "Get Krack!n Episode #1.2" at IMDb
  35. ↑ Screen Time at IMDb

Further reading & viewing

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.