For more than a decade, Ali Gul Pir has built a reputation for turning Pakistan’s political absurdities, social contradictions and everyday frustrations into sharp, irreverent comedy. From the viral Waderai Ka Beta to sketches, mimicry and digital content, his work has consistently challenged the powerful while refusing to be boxed into a single artistic identity. In this candid conversation with MAG, Pir reflects on satire, censorship, cancel culture and the responsibility that comes with a public voice. He discusses his legal battles, his evolving creative journey, his venture ‘The Third Act’, and how becoming a father may influence the artist he is becoming. At a time when comedy increasingly walks a fine line between entertainment and accountability, Pir remains unapologetic about speaking his mind – and doing his bit to question the world around him. Excerpts:

SK: You burst onto the scene with Waderai Ka Beta, taking direct aim at Pakistan's feudal elite – despite belonging to a feudal family yourself. Was that an act of rebellion, or did you ever worry people would call you a hypocrite?
AGP: Oh, I don't really care what people say or do. For me, I thought it would be a funny thing. I think waderai or waderai ke bete (feudal lord or the sons of a feudal lord) is a stereotypical character. They were in my school too, they are in my family, as well.

I saw such people around so much in Karachi and in my village that I thought, 'Okay, this is a character everyone finds either annoying, or, you know, overbearing, or outright aggressive, loud.' It's a character everyone's afraid of also.

So, I thought it would be funny to make a song about such a character through a satirical song. I didn't really care what people thought. I thought it would be funny, so I did it.

SK: Political satire has become riskier over the years. Have you ever stopped yourself from releasing content because you feared legal consequences or feared about personal safety?
AGP: Yes, there is self-censorship in our line of work, but that also changes with time. There was a time in Pakistan when you couldn’t talk about religious extremism. Even now you can’t, but there is still some leeway now. [At any given time] there are always one or two topics you should stay away from.

I think there are ways around it, when you want to talk about the issues and less about personalities. Not every song needs to be a Waderai Ka Beta. Some songs can be VIP, which is a song about people who have these police protocols and are so detached from the common man's life, you know? So that could be anyone. It could be a politician, a businessman, a police official, a uniformed official. It’s a state of mind, it’s a way of living that could be for anyone.

SK: You seem to have moved towards standups, sketches, mimicry, we haven’t heard a parody song from you in a long time. Is this move deliberate?
AGP: I think as an artist, you want to explore new things. So, I've done songs on different issues, and then I kind of wanted to explore different avenues. In college, I used to do improv comedy. So, the stage was my basic starting point. My performing art journey started from doing live shows, live comedy shows. So, that is my origin, and I go back [from time to time] and do that.

And then reels, I think it was just around COVID that I got into it. Shows weren't happening, and we were all stuck at home, so I started doing more and more of these short-form videos, sketches, or dubbing videos. I just thought that it was fun to do something new. And maybe after a few years, I'll start doing something else. It's just that the artist in me wants to explore and not be put in a box and do things.

SSK: Many people believe comedians are becoming activists because politicians aren't doing their job. Do you see yourself as an entertainer, an activist, or something in between?
AGP: I see myself as an entertainer, foremost. And then because I’m an entertainer who lives in such a society, I’m [also] a citizen. And my comedy has, most of the time, been inspired by the problems I face as a member of this society. Satire is something that is inspired by what you see around, or what you see in me, you know? I belong to a Sindhi Wadera family also, so I have that – those kinds of roots. You know I, at times, being a public figure, feel like a VIP.

We all have our flaws. I think that becomes activism at times. For my art, I have fought cases in FIA courts and gone to courts for three years till I beat it [the case]. Some people might say that's activism. But I think that's also a responsibility as an entertainer, to make sure that freedom of speech – or at least some of it – is still intact in our society. That just because someone's powerful doesn't mean that they can just push people around legally.

SSK: You've mocked politicians, celebrities, influencers, and powerful institutions. Has anyone ever confronted you privately and asked you to take something down?
AGP: Funnily, entertainers and actors have more fragile egos than politicians. Politicians have thick skin; they're used to being criticised, abused, and judged by people on the news, and wherever they go. I have been approached, I've been messaged, but more by celebrities. And not politicians and other powerful institutions.

But I don't take anything down. Like I said, I've gone to courts, so I don't have to take my words back. I am always content unless I feel like I've done something wrong, then I will take it down.

But I don't think I have so far. I've been well within the laws and ethics; like, I don't take any private video of someone and leak it. Even if I satirize something, it's a public video. It's something they've said in a morning show, it's something people have done in interviews etc. It's not like I'm taking out their home videos and then making videos on them.

SSK: Your legal dispute with Ali Zafar became one of the most talked-about celebrity controversies. Looking back, do you think it was worth taking that stand, and would you handle it differently today?
AGP: I think I handled it perfectly well. I don't think I would handle it any other way because it was an important step to take, it was an important legal fight. It took me three years, but I don't regret a minute of it.

I had the privilege. Other people who were [involved] in the case did not have the means but I had the means to stand up and take up this fight, and I am very glad I did so. And it paid off because I was in the right. That's why the case got dismissed.

I could have countersued. I could have asked for damages. But I didn't because that was not the point. Money comes and goes. Even if I had to go to Lahore for cases every month or two for three years, I made the best of it. I did a lot of shows in Lahore, I made friends there because I used to go so much. I took it in a good stride. You know, it's all in the mentality.

If you take things as, 'Oh man, what is happening in my life, with me?', then even small things will become difficult for you. But not if you take it as an opportunity and turn it around. As an artist, I'm proud of that part of my life, the way I stood my ground and fought the case. I'm really proud of it.

SSK: Social media made your career, but it's also become a place where outrage spreads faster than facts. Has ‘cancel culture’ made comedy more difficult?
AGP: I think cancel culture has made everyone – not just comedians – walk on eggshells a little bit. Some people give it a lot more importance than others. I was doing Taaroo Maaroo in 2012, before the woke culture came around. I was talking about gender equality and similar issues. For me, my work did not change.

I've done songs like Wadera Ka Beta and Mera Jism Meri Marzi, and I've had men hate on me. I remember someone was like, 'Oh, he wears a dupatta and acts like a woman,' I was like, but what does that have to do with anything? If I'm doing characters – and I do all of the characters in my video by myself – and somewhere wear a coat, somewhere wear a dupatta, [it’s not like] I'm not making fun of genders. If some script requires me to put on a dupatta, I'll do it. As an entertainer, as a content creator, you have to play all roles.

So, I do not care what people say. At the end of the day, I've realised that I am the one who's putting out two to three videos every week. And I have been doing this for way longer than any of the people around me. I was viral when there was no such thing as viral, you know? I have been consistently making content – either it's songs, or in the digital space – for over 14 years. I've seen people come and go, and I've seen people get too affected by these things. Today you'll say for something that isn't right, tomorrow it would be right, then the day after tomorrow something else will become right. As long as, like I said, I am content with what I'm saying, I don't really care [about much else].

SSK: Pakistanis often laugh at political satire online, but little seems to change in real life. Do you think satire actually creates change, or does it simply become another form of entertainment?
AGP: I ask myself this as well – whether this actually causes some actual societal change or if people just comment, 'Oh, this is true, we should do this,' and then go back to doing the same thing. I think that's a question that nobody has an answer to. Sometimes I feel like nothing has changed. Sometimes I do feel like little things have changed.

Sometimes I get sad and feel like, 'Oh, I shouldn't make such content anymore, what's the use?' But then, what's the use of doing anything, you know? You talk about activism, you talk about all these people – it's like, you can either be part of a positive change or a positive influence in the world you live in, or you can be negative. And if you do nothing, then eventually you're silently condoning messed-up parts of our society. I can't live like that. I want to be a part of a society that actually is trying to say, 'Oh, this is messed up.' And if that changes, good; if nothing changes, at least I did my bit.

SSK: You've never been afraid to offend people. Where do you personally draw the line between fearless satire and irresponsible content? Is there any subject you simply won't joke about?
AGP: I think the basic rule is – don't punch down; don't make fun of people who are lesser than you. Let's say there's this lady, and even though she's a woman, but she's also very powerful. And she's accountable because she's in a public office. Should I not make fun of her? If you look at it, she's a woman, and in a patriarchal society like ours, she might be at a disadvantage. But if she holds a public office, and social class-wise she's very rich, she's very powerful, then I would do it.

SSK: Tell us about ‘The Third Act’. How did the idea come about and what is your goal with it?
AGP: ‘The third act’ is part of the growth plan. Like I said, I've been doing this for 14 years. Before that, I studied film. I have done production. I've directed, produced TV ads. I've written award show scripts. I've written sitcoms. I've acted in sitcoms. I've done all the production-related [things]; on-camera, off-camera, pre-production. So, I thought, instead of doing this as a freelancer, the next step would be to establish an entity like ‘The Third Act’.

I can do all this under an umbrella where I have some production equipment, crew and an office. But ‘The Third Act’ is just not just another production, digital content house. It's also an entity where influencers or content creators who do not have production skills, who want someone to shoot and edit for them, can each out.

We also produce digital ads. So, it's a combination of these two, three things. It's a digital content platform that provides production and creative solutions for people.

SSK: Coming from a privileged background, do you ever feel people question your credibility when you speak about inequality, corruption, or social injustice? How do you respond to that criticism?
AGP: I do not belong from a privileged family, actually. My extended family might be privileged, but not me. My parents got divorced when I was young. I have come from nothing, had to rebuild my life as a teenager all through my own work. My early childhood might have been privileged, but I grew up without a car. After college I moved out, lived without electricity for a month or two in Karachi. I've lived on one meal-a-day. I have seen more hard times than good times. I do not classify my upbringing as privileged.

SSK: You have recently become a father. Do you feel that would factor in now in your creative process, responsibility with posting content online, and how you present yourself on social media?
AGP: For sure! I think becoming a father does factor into my creative process. As for responsibility with posting content online, I think I speak my mind. My language might be crass at times, but I speak what I mean. I don't do vulgarity. My objective is never to be vulgar, it's to put across a message. So, I don't think I feel like, 'Oh, now I have to change my content because I'm a father.' But yes, it is going to influence me as a person big time, and that's going to influence the content, for sure. I don't know how, but I can feel it will.

SSK: Owing to the hyper-sensitive times now, there are comics in India that get FIRs filed against them and get serious death threats because of jokes that offend the masses or the right wing. Comparatively, do you think things in Pakistan in that regard are still better?
AGP: I think every country has its challenges, and I think India's comedy scene is huge because it's a massive country. Their sensitivity and their extremism are different. I think there's more political tolerance here, and on religious things, I guess, that is a sensitive topic for any country.

I think there are issues, but that's how you make progress. It's good that those boundaries are being pushed wherever they are: India, Pakistan, America. We should question, 'Why can't I joke about this?' Because if all these messed-up things in our society are happening – kids being murdered and raped – why is a joke about, let's say, politicians, considered more heinous than that kind of crime? We should be focusing on things that are actually ruining lives and impacting society, and not worry about jokes.

SSK: How did you meet your wife? How has she adjusted with your work and has she faced any issues where she is aggressively approached about something you have said?
AGP: I met her at a mutual friend's birthday, and we talked for two to three hours. We became friends, and then we got married.

People do come up to her, but nothing aggressive. Nobody attacks her because of something I did. They mostly just tell her, 'Oh, you know, this video is our favourite.' My wife is a busy woman. She's a doctor, so she works a lot. She's not up to date with everything I do, because I put out a video every other day.

Sometimes she doesn't know what they're (fans) talking about, and she just has to smile and nod. Then she comes back home and tells me about it, and she watches it so she knows what they're talking about. That's the funny part. But I think she's adjusted very well. She's very secure. I'm really proud of her. She's very smart. And I'm really blessed to have her in my life. I think I've really become a better person because of her, and I've grown a lot.

SSK: If Ali Gul Pir were starting his career today, in a Pakistan shaped by AI, algorithms, censorship, and influencer culture, do you think works like Waderai Ka Beta and Taroo Maroo would still go viral?
AGP: I don't want to toot my own horn, but I think those are timeless issues. Wadere Ka Beta is still relevant. Sometimes I get tagged by kids who are like 16, 17 making reels on that song because it's still relevant. So is Taaru Maaru. I feel it probably would have been done in a different way with different music and a different video, but I think it's still relevant.