TATHASTU Review | Zakir Khan | Amazon Prime | “Much much More than a comedian..”

Storyteller Zakir Khan who is much more than a comedian takes us on emotional ride through this earnest special, streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It is his 3rd solo special with the platform, and it won’t be wrong to say that even if in a small way, Zakir has contributed to the evolution of his audiences and their taste, in a very good way.

Last I saw:

Tathastu, written and performed by Zakir Khan, streaming on Amazon prime. It’s Zakir’s 4th collaboration with the platform after 2 hit stand-up specials and an original web series. Firstly, the fact that this is the highest number of associations any Indian artist has had with any digital platform, that too within just half a decade is in itself is a proof of the journey, success, popularity and connect of Zakir with Indian audiences. Before I continue to talk about Tathastu, it is my humble request to the readers if you like this review and your heart agrees to it, please help me make this video reach Zakir Khan and his team, as this is my most sincerely written review yet, which is less of a review and more of an outpour reaction from my heart.

Now, moving on to the review for Tathastu: It is definitely Not Zakir Khan’s funniest content so far. Are ruko, let me clarify, it’s not his funniest content because it is much more than that. It is something beyond comedy and beyond humor. It’s an emphatic narration of a beautiful emotional roller-coaster ride that the master storyteller takes us on. It has so many ingredients that after the first 20 minutes you don’t really want humor to be the main course, you are just happy to listen to what he’s telling, and see what he’s showing us through his words. If it wasn’t still clear to anyone till now, this show once and for all proves that Zakir the comedian was just a tip of the iceberg, dare I say a façade he himself put up to earn money and his loyal fans and their unwavering attention. But now that he has the attention of millions, below the tip of the iceberg is a person who is- a writer, a musician, a romantic, a shayar, a philosopher, an observer, a storyteller, modern day kissagoi kalakar, a mind reader and most importantly a chef for the hearts of his audience, kyonki vo apne lafzon me bilkul sahi maatra me sab kuch parosta haihansana, rulaana, dikhaana, jataana, roothna, manana- and all the beautiful vulnerabilities and insecurities of the earthly journey we call life. Watching Tathastu is definitely not for a first time Zakir viewer, it is for people who already have consumed something or the other from his mind before. A first time viewer might not enjoy this show as much because this man’s career is an evolving journey for not just him but his fans and viewers too. Our tastes and expectations too have evolved watching him, his previous work, his specials, his interviews, public appearances and so on. Thus, his fans could interpret, appreciate and enjoy Tathastu much more. The second half of Tathastu reminded me of the great Robin William’s wonderful character from the movie Dead Poets Society. It felt the story of this special touched our heart in the same way Robin’s character touches the lives of his students in the filmthrough a precise combination of laughter and tear inducing memories and statements. Coming to the specific technicalities of Tathastu, I’d like to mention something’s that I really loved and I can say without revealing too much. But still, if you haven’t watched the show I’d suggest not continuing this video from this point on. In Tathastu Zakir gives several philosophical and lived realities of life through his classic hard-hitting statements like- “Jab aap parivar se door jaate hain to vo alag hona kapde ke chichirne jaisa hota hai, jaise uske reshe latakte hain vaise hi aapke rishton me nishan hote hain doori ke” and another one he says “Bachchen paida kr lena, shaadi krna, naukri krna is not adulating, watching your loved ones grow old, witnessing and bearing the pain of their death is real adulating”. My absolute favourite was the thought he mentioned about how grandfather and grandchildren were friends and thus were able to carry out the rituals when the unfortunate happened, instead of grandfather and father because that relation still had some formality, unlike the dada-pota bond. Through this show he has deliberately/non-deliberately highlighted the beauty and importance of the Indian joint family system which lived and still lives in small towns, where moments of joy are shared and where drama is not needed on television channels, it is naturally ever present within households, where children are brought up by not one but many sets of parental figures in their family, where the eldest and most known person of the family would be the introduction card for the whole family, where the children of previous generations learnt life lessons from elders as well as with elders, where privacy and space management were learnt in small shared houses, where managing a explosive situation was day to day routine for the young brats and rebels kyunki ek bar kisi ki shaitaani ki pol khuli to vos sirf apne ma baap se nahi har rishtedar se taana sunega. Another thing which I loved and wanted to see more was the mention of the Indian Classical Music field. Being an admirer for decades and a new student of Classical music since last couple of years I enjoyed those anecdotes that Zakir recounted aboutprogrammes, festivals, Kalidas Mahotsav of Ujjain, the discipline of riyaaz, respect of the Guru/mentor by the shagird/disciples, photograph of collection of great artists by art connoisseurs. Classical music field and tradition is one of the most important assets of our country, which should be highlighted more by mainstream artists so that today’s generation are more inclined to it. This brings me to the end credits song Khoya hai dil by Zeeshan Khan, it’s a true masterpiece with top notch and soothing music, lyrics as well as voice. It’s sure to bring tears to even those eyes which managed to remain dry throughout the 90-minute special. Lastly, I want to say thanks to Zakir for this beautiful special which as I mentioned before is much beyond comedy, and has a genuine 50 percent share of the noncomedian aspects of his persona. I hope he keeps on revealing wonderful talents and heart touching tales from beneath the tip of that iceberg. Although it’s a complete solo special written, performed and produced by Zakir Khan but credit also to his team responsible for- production, set, costume, editing and other essential departments, the names of which will make this video too long, so I have given the link to the IMDb page for the entire backstage team of this magical special. Never let go of your classical music roots brother, they separate you from the crowd. Eagerly waiting for the next original content from this man. Best wishes to Zakir Khan Ji. If you liked this video, kindly share it and help me make it reach Zakir.

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