Ahead of Valentine's Day, Zakir Khan discusses love, relationships, online dating
Zakir Khan weighs in on the ever-changing world of relationships, especially with new-age dating terms and platforms coming into play.
As Valentine's Week sets the mood for matters of the heart, stand-up comedian Zakir Khan shares his humorous yet insightful take on love, relationships, and modern romance.
In an exclusive chat, Zakir reflects on the enduring essence of love, how it continues to stand the test of time while weighing in on the ever-changing world of relationships, especially with new-age dating terms and platforms coming into play.
"I am aware of the new-age relationship terms. They are concepts relevant to the times we live in, but they are not permanent. Love, however, is timeless," the 37-year-old says, adding, “Kisi se milne ka tareeka alag ho sakta hai – it could be on a terrace, through Facebook, or on Tinder – but love remains the same. Prem ka koi replacement nahi hai."
"When someone you care for touches you, you still get goosebumps. When they look at you, you feel butterflies in your stomach. These emotions are timeless. They have existed throughout history and will continue to exist, even a hundred years from now. A person could be living anywhere in the world, speaking a different language, and eating different food—yet, the language of love is universal. Love is eternal; it is the ultimate truth,” adds Zakir who will be next seen in Love Life Lafde on Disney+ Hotstar.
Zakir's thoughts on romance resonates throughout his work. He even weighs in on the psyche behind online dating, joking, “Who wants to date via dating apps? People do it, but what do they ultimately want? They want a meet-cute...not just a swipe right. People want ki achanak kahi takkra jaye, kahi mulakat ho jaye…kyu di gayi hai pheli mulaqat ko itni importance!”
When asked whether he would consider online dating, Zakir promptly says, "Several profiles have been made in my name, but I want to clarify that I'm not on any dating apps."
But has he had his own lasting love story yet? Zakir cites a couplet from lyricist Javed Akhtar’s anthology of poems Tarkash: “Bahut nakaamiyon par aap apni naaz karte hain/ Abhi dekhi kahan hain aapne nakamiyaan meri.”
The complexities of relationships often find their way into Zakir's comedy. Ask him about it and he explains that humour often emerges from personal experiences, noting, "Charlie Chaplin once said, 'Comedy is tragedy in long shot.' For example, when a person falls, it seems tragic when you're up close, but from a distance, it becomes funny. That's how life works — you need to step back sometimes and assess what can be approached seriously and what can be laughed at." He continues, "The way I was raised, I've learned to maintain a balance between the two. Intent se balance maintain hota hai. Jab aap bol rahe hai toh aapki neeyat kya hai, woh bahut matter karti hai. Intent can travel faster than light."
Known for speaking from a man’s perspective, Zakir also seems to have a keen sense of how women would react in a particular situation. When asked about this, he playfully responds, "I don’t have a woman’s manual, but I am a good listener. I’ve always taken an interest in listening carefully to my female friends. I’ve encountered these issues before. When I’ve formed friendships with women, I never wanted it to feel like a 'man-woman' dynamic. I wanted to remove that energy from the equation. So, I consciously worked on it. As soon as I dropped the 'man' label, they also dropped the 'girl' label, and we shared genuine, beautiful conversations as human beings. That shift has not only helped me be a better friend to females but also, of course, helped in my work."
Further, speaking about the popular notion that opposites attract in relationships, Zakir points out that this idea is often misunderstood. For him, it’s not about being opposites; it’s about being in the right mindset and phase of life where things just fall into place. "Woh bas aap dono apne jeevan ke kis parav mein hai, uspe depend karta hai. Gati mein gati milti hai and then things click. It totally depends on what zone, mindset and stage in life you are in."
Ask him to sum up his own dating life in a few sentences and he wraps up with a witty reply: "Jaadugar se kabhi nahi poochte yeh trick thi yah jaadu tha."