Arts
‘What the faluda it is about!’
Two years ago, when Ifaz Bin Jameel first introduced himself to Colombo’s audiences at Freddy Strikes Back, he made sure to mention that he had no connection to a certain infamous Muslim who also had ‘Bin’ in his name. Back then Ifaz little thought he would go on to become not only one of Freddy’s regular stars, but also create an identity for himself as a Sri Lankan Muslim comedian.
Ifaz in ‘Freddy Strikes Back’. Pic by Anush de Costa
In October, Ifaz and the rest of the Freddy crew will be back with ‘Freddy 3 – A New Hope!’ bringing to the Lionel Wendt stage a routine that has scored guaranteed laughs. Since his very first show, Ifaz has become a much looked forward to fixture at Freddy, bringing not just a fresh new take but rather, a completely novel, yet familiar flavour to Sri Lankan humour- through the eyes and observations of a contemporary Sri Lankan Muslim.
An old boy of Science College (previously known as Hena Vidyalaya) and D.S. Senanayake College, Ifaz and Freddy’s creator Feroze Kamardeen were only a year apart in school; both being involved heavily in the college drama scene. When he left school, Ifaz immediately became a regular with StageLight&Magic; both onstage and off from the theatre company’s inception until 2002. Shakespeare took up a lot of the tall, lean actor’s time with roles such as Banquo in StageLight&Magic’s production of Macbeth and other heavier pieces such as Death of an Anarchist. But the unassuming Ifaz is a man of many talents- having pranced around on stage as the maniacal befurred Macavity the Mystery Cat in the Workshop Players’ production of Cats and Les Miserables in 1996 and 1997. Ifaz has even found himself in the director’s chair for school and StageLight&Magic productions and in a twist of fate, even directed Feroze in Oleanna; the last play Feroze would act in before becoming the man behind the scripts.
When Freddy was first introduced, Ifaz was also present, behind the scenes working on the set design. “I had never seen stand-up comedy before,” he admits. Like most of Sri Lanka, the most access Ifaz had to stand-up was through YouTube. So when Gehan Blok, Dominic Keller and Dino Corera’s routines initially acted as a filler between skits, he was impressed. “I thought they had an amazing reception,” he says and didn’t hesitate to share his enthusiasm with Feroze when they bumped into each other at a coffee shop one day. When Feroze shared his plans for expanding Freddy into a full blown stand-up show, they began discussing possible ideas for the show, and adding a Muslim take on comedy sprang up during the conversation.
Fast forward to October 2017 and we see Ifaz on the stage at the Lionel Wendt after a break of ten years, as the show’s opening performer, doing a routine about Muslims in Sri Lanka. Butterflies in his stomach was an understatement for Ifaz that night. “But the reception was amazing,” he remembers. Was it the often tiptoed around subject matter, the novel narrative or Ifaz’s own style of showman meets your childhood friend that captured the audience? For Ifaz, it doesn’t matter as much as the need for a voice from his community.
Growing up in a liberal home, Ifaz and his siblings owe their creativity to their progressive upbringing, but had to find a balance with both the liberal and more conservative sides of their family. In a time where cultural and religious identities are changing, “I felt like it was a good time to talk about all this,” he says. Like other Muslim comedians such as Aziz Ansari, Kumail Nanjiani, Ahmed Ahmed and Hasan Minhaj`, Ifaz has branched out, marking his own identity in comedy- not only as a Muslim, but as a Sri Lankan Muslim.
Keeping with Feroze’s vision for Freddy, Ifaz and the other performers don’t shy away from serious topics and timely issues that concern politics, religion, culture and the Sri Lankan condition. But what keeps audiences coming back; even to the extent of filling up 2000 plus seats at Temple Trees in July is the relatability and humour only an unmarried Sri Lankan-Muslim or otherwise who has faced an “Aunty network” will know what the ‘faluda’ (yes, Ifaz has his own signature words of choice) it is about. “It doesn’t have to be political” his own segment finds humour in the everyday, making it possible to have a good laugh and be compelling.
Freddy’s success has turned Ifaz into a minor celebrity, with people congratulating him, and a few criticizing him. Around 600 friend requests flooded in after the first show (“who even has 100 real friends?” he asks disbelievingly). But what has touched the soft-spoken actor most is a mere two words and no further explanation – “Thank you”.
StageLight&Magic.Inc present ‘Freddy 3 – A New Hope’ directed by FerozeKamardeen from October 18-23. Box plan and tickets will be available at the Lionel Wendt from October 1.