Comic Performance in Pakistan: The Bhānd

Before stand‑up comedy, before TikTok satire, there was the Bhānd – a centuries‑old tradition of comic performance that roams the streets and stages of Pakistan. Witty, crude, and fearless, these performers mock the powerful and mirror society. This is the first book to truly capture their art.

In Comic Performance in Pakistan: The Bhānd, Claire Pamment offers a groundbreaking exploration of one of South Asia’s most vibrant yet understudied performative traditions. The Bhānd – a practitioner of folk comedy – has entertained rural and urban audiences for generations, using a unique blend of slapstick, satire, improvisation, and social commentary.

Pamment traces the historical roots of the Bhānd from the Mughal court to the contemporary street theatre of Punjab and Sindh. She analyses their performance techniques: exaggerated physicality, cross‑dressing, witty repartee, and a fearless willingness to mock landlords, politicians, and religious figures. More than just entertainment, the Bhānd serves as a mirror to society, exposing hypocrisy and giving voice to the powerless.

Drawing on extensive fieldwork, interviews with living performers, and archival research, the book examines how Bhānds adapt their ancient craft to modern media (television, digital platforms) while preserving core conventions. It also addresses the social marginalisation of Bhānd communities and their struggle for recognition. Essential reading for scholars of South Asian theatre, cultural anthropology, and anyone interested in the politics of laughter.

About the Author
Claire Pamment is Associate Professor of Theatre at the College of William & Mary, Virginia. She specialises in South Asian performance traditions, particularly folk and popular theatre of Pakistan and North India. Her research combines ethnographic fieldwork with performance analysis. She has published widely on Bhānd, naqqals, and other comedic forms. Her work has been supported by the Fulbright Program and the American Institute of Pakistan Studies.