The LOL Waalay have surprised audiences with celebrity appearances on various occasions. They once featured comedian Saad Haroon and theatre director/producer Nida Butt. Recently, actor Ali Safina also made his improv debut with them. But one famous face that has appeared more than once on stage is Ali Gul Pir, who joined the troupe on stage again last weekend for their Movember show, making us wonder whether the viral internet comedian is planning on joining the troupe, or already has done so unofficially.
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The ‘Waderay Ka Beta’ star returns to his improv roots.
The LOL Waalay have surprised audiences with celebrity appearances on various occasions. They once featured comedian Saad Haroon and theatre director/producer Nida Butt. Recently, actor Ali Safina also made his improv debut with them. But one famous face that has appeared more than once on stage is Ali Gul Pir, who joined the troupe on stage again last weekend for their Movember show, making us wonder whether the viral internet comedian is planning on joining the troupe, or already has done so unofficially.
Turns out, the star confirmed that he indeed has joined the troupe now and will be a prominent and regular face at all shows from now on. Instep spoke to Pir over a brief telephonic conversation to find out what made him return to the stage again. “I joined the LOL Waalay because I wanted to start doing improv again,” said Pir matter-of-factly.
Many of us might know that Pir originally started off with improvisational comedy, long before he shot to stardom with ‘Waderay Ka Beta’. He was part of Aisa Karoge Tou Kon Ayega, Pakistan’s first ever Urdu improv troupe, and then went on to feature in Lipton Light On Hai, hosted by Azfar Ali.
But why the LOL Waalay? Did someone approach Pir? “Nobody approached me actually; I’m the one who approached them. I told them some time back that if they ever need a group member, let me know.” That opportunity came when one of the leading members of the troupe, Akbar Chaudry, left for the US to complete his Masters. “Osama (from LOL Waalay) got back to me after a few months and said ‘Akbar is there, we could use another improviser and it will be fun,’ so here I am.”
While Pir maintains that the LOL Waalay are his friends, thus naturally he would turn to them, he also explained that he shared camaraderie with them because many of the performers in the troupe were initially trained by him. “They went on to learn much more and have become very good at what they do. If you look at Pakistan’s improv scene, the LOL Waalay are the only troupe doing it properly. The scene is growing in Pakistan, but these guys really are the best at the moment.”
Pir concluded the conversation by informing that he will now be performing alongside the troupe regularly. “I’m their group member now so the plan is to do more shows. The only time you won’t see me on stage is when I’m engaged in other professional commitments.”
