Vasay Chaudhry
| Vasay Chaudhry Cadet Faisal | |
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| File:Vasay Chaudhry hosting Hum Awards.jpg
Chaudhry hosting Hum Awards 2014
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| Born | 12 November 1981 Lahore |
| Residence | Lahore, Pakistan |
| Alma mater | National College of Arts |
| Occupation | Actor Writer Humorist |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouse(s) | Mahera Shah |
| Awards | See below |
Vasay Chaudhry (Urdu: واسع چوہدری ; born on November 12, 1981) is a Pakistani screenwriter, actor, director, producer, host and humorist. He is best known for writing sitcoms and comedy-dramas for Pakistani television. Chaudhry is also noted for hosting a Comedy Show Mazaaq Raat on Dunya News. His name is sometimes misspelled as Wasay, Wassay or Vassay in print and electronic media.
Contents
Biography
Chaudhry was born on 12 November 1981, and lives in Lahore. He completed his A-levels studies from Lahore College of Arts and Sciences. Chaudhry enrolled himself at Government College University (Lahore) for a bachelor's degree but ended up graduating from University of the Punjab Lahore.Later he joined the Lahore School of Economics for pursuing an MBA degree; however he dropped the course after first semester. After LSE, he commenced his MMA (Master's in Multimedia Arts) at National College of Arts and earned the honors.[1] He married to Mahera Shah in 2008 and the couple have three daughters together.[2][3]
Career
Chaudry start his career in 1998 when he did a theatre play called Desperado. He recalls, "I had just a 45 second role in it! So I started off with a role - that calling it a cameo would be a disgrace! I began to pursue theatre seriously when I went to LACAS for my A-levels where I met Zain Ahmed (actress/director Samina Ahmad's son) and acted and assisted him on his play, Bloodbearing".[4] Afterwards, he went on to become head of the Dramatics Club in LACAS and directed an old Urdu play called Bari Dair Meherban Aatay Aatay for the Rafi Peer Theatre International Theatre Festival.[4]
Chaudhry's first writing venture for television was a sitcom called Jutt and Bond in 2001, starring Fawad Afzal Khan in lead role along with Ahmad Ali Butt and Farah Tufail.[5] It was television adaptation of his theater play of the same name performed in 2000. Chaudhry wanted to approach Younis Butt to write the series, but the director of the show and Chaudhry's friend Zain Ahmad persuaded him to write it himself, so Chaudhry wrote the show himself.[6] He recollected the memories of Jutt and Bond while speaking to a newspaper "So, then I sat down to make the decision and thought about all the terrible dramas I have seen in my life. I thought about how bad could my writing really be, decided to give it a shot and wrote Jutt and Bond."[6]
In 2010, after establishing himself in 25-minute sitcom business, he wrote his first long TV serial Dolly ki Ayegi Baraat, which turned out to be a huge commercial and critical hit.[7] He continued writing long TV serials after success of Dolly. Chaudhry in an interview stated that he has started enjoying writing for film and TV more than sitcoms.[8] Chaudhry's most famous TV plays as a writer include Timmy G, Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat, Takkay Ki Ayegi Baraat, Inspector Khojee, Kash Tu Mera Baap Na Hota, Yeh Shaadi Nahi Ho Sakti, telefilm Armaan (2013 film) and Jackson Heights (drama). He terms his Eid Special play Kash Tu Mera Baap Na Hota which aired on Geo TV, 2011, as one of his personal favorite work along with Inspector Khojee and Jackson Heights.[3] In cinematic work, he wrote the script and screenplay for Main Hoon Shahid Afridi; it was declared a commercial hit of Pakistani cinema, 2013, and garnered accolades from critics and audience alike.[9][10][11]
Chaudhry has been seen in TV commercials from time to time, prominent ones include MCB ad and Zong.[12] Chaudhry wrote in Herald (Pakistan) as a film reviewer and critic for a brief period, 2002–03.[13] Since then he has occasionally contributed towards writing on Pakistani media and cinema in Pakistan's leading newspapers like Pakistan Today and The News.
Mantra
Chaudhry in one interview explained the reason for writing as “only to bring the people’s attention to the various character types that exist amidst us. It is important to be a responsible role model but for most people it is easier to pick ideas off the internet and ape them.”[14]
Chaudhry believes in self-censorship but insists “My target has always been to entertain people; I am not into art as far as my work is concerned, at least not now. Even when I was doing theatre, I wasn’t into it. I suppose it’s because I am influenced by entertainment films of the 80s and 90s”.[6] He regards Anwar Maqsood and Mushtaq Ahmad Yusufi as his gurus in comedy writing and laments the lack of fresh ideas and wit in majority of current comedies. Being a strong believer in originality he was quoted saying “It’s mostly foreign concepts that we are picking up and then trying to localise and obviously failing. We need to learn to improvise rather than copy ideas.”[14]
Reception
Chaudhry has been praised in the Pakistani press as a writer uniquely in touch and comfortable with Punjabi culture.[15] He is a firm believer of "self censorship" and calls himself old school when it comes to the views regarding a writer’s moral responsibility towards his audiences. He credits this to his training in a pre-cable TV world and asserts that he “refrains from [writing] obnoxious jokes.”[1]
Television
Writing
Chaudhry has contributed as a writer in various TV shows:
| Show | Year | Channel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jutt and Bond[16] | 2001 | Indus TV, Channel G | Sitcom, 102 Episodes |
| Motor Chalay Pum Pum[17] | 2001 | Pakistan Television Corporation | Sitcom, contributed writing |
| Yaraana Purana[18] | 2002 | Sitcom, contributed writing | |
| Jallywood[19] | 2004 | Sitcom, 7 episodes | |
| Rubber Band (TV Series)[20] | 2005-8 | ARY Digital | Sitcom, 176 Episodes |
| Urban Desi[19] | 2006-7 | Aaj TV | Sitcom, Co-writing with Ali Kazmi, 65 Episodes |
| Inspector Khojee[21] | 2006 | Pakistan Television Corporation | Sitcom, 52 Episodes |
| Yes Sir[21] | 2009 | A-Plus Entertainment | 13 Episodes |
| Timmy G[22] | 2010-12 | ARY Digital | Sitcom, 116 Episodes |
| Kash Tu Mera Baap Na Hota[3] | 2011 | Geo TV | Eid special long play |
| Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat[23] | 2010 | Geo TV | Telenovela 17 Episodes, Chaudhry's First long TV series |
| Takkay Ki Ayegi Baraat[23] | 2011 | Geo TV | Telenovela 16 Episodes |
| Annie Ki Ayegi Baraat[23] | 2012 | Geo TV | Telenovela 19 Episodes |
| Yeh Shaadi Nahi Ho Sakti[24] | 2013 | ARY Digital | Telenovela 27 Episodes |
| Armaan[25] | 2013 | Geo TV, PTV | Telefilm |
| Abhi Toh Mein Jawaan hoon[26] | 2013 | Geo TV, PTV | Telefilm |
| Jackson Heights[27] | 2014-15 | Urdu 1 | Telenovela |
| Bad Times | 2014 | A-Plus Entertainment | |
| Hum Awards[28] | 2013-16 | Hum TV | Script writing and hosting of the show |
| Dolly ki Aa Gai Baraat[29] | 2012 | Geo TV | Telefilm |
| ARY Film Awards | 2016 | ARY Digital | Script writing and hosting of the show |
Acting
| Show | Character | Channel | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cafe Chill[30] | Geo TV | 2004 | ||
| Tamasha Ghar (Hari Bhari)[31] | PTV | 2005 | ||
| Rubber Band (TV Series)[20] | Ali Toor | ARY Digital | 2005-8 | |
| Jallywood[19] | 2004 | |||
| Inspector Khojee | Himself | PTV | 2006 | |
| Urban Desi[19] | AAJ TV | 2006-7 | ||
| Yaasu Panju Har[32] | ARY Digital | 2009 | ||
| Na jaane kyun[33] | Haider | PTV | 2010 | |
| Kash Tu Mera Baap Na Hota[34] | Ifran | Geo TV | 2011 | |
| Annie Ki Ayegi Baraat[20] | Bobby D | Geo TV | 2012 | |
| Timmy G[20] | Timmy G | ARY Digital | 2009-13 | |
| Silvatain[35] | Mikaal | ARY Digital | 2013 | |
| Armaan (2013 film)[36] | Danny | PTV & Geo TV | 2013 | |
| Kahani Raima Aur Manahil Ki[37] | Wahaj | Hum TV | 2014 | |
| Pyarey Afzal[38] | Dr. Sibtain | ARY Digital | 2014 | |
| Nazdeekiyan[39] | Faiq | Ary Digital | 2014 | |
| Ishq for Sale[40] | Shehenshah | Hum TV | 2015 | |
| Mann Mayal | Ifti | Hum TV | 2016 |
Hosting
| Year | Program | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–Present | Mazaaq Raat | Dunya TV |
| 2005–2006 | Bekaar Singh Dey Naal | Channel G |
| 2013–2014-2015 | Hum Awards | HUM TV |
Direction
| Year | Program | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Jallywood |
Production
| Year | Program | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Yes Sir | Adaptation of the British showYes Prime Minister |
Guest appearances
- 2011: The Morning Show with Huma Mir Shah[41] as himself
- 2014: Mehman Qadardan as himself[8]
- 2014: Cocktail Dawn News as himself[2]
- 2014: Mazaq Raat as himself[42]
- 2015: Tonite with HSY as himself[43]
Filmography
| Film | Year | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Hoon Shahid Afridi | 2013 | Writer | ||
| Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | 2015 | Writer, Actor | His debut movie, His character name was 'Sheikh' |
Theater
| Darama | Year | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jutt and Bond | 2000 | |||
| Oop Singh | 2004-2005 | |||
| Inspector Khojee | - |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Category | Film/Darama | Role | Awards | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Sitcom Drama Writer | writer | 1st Indus Drama Awards | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Best Writer | Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat | writer | 10th Lux Style Awards | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Best Supporting Actor | Armaan (2013 film) | actor | Tarang Housefull Awards | WON | |
| 2014 | Best Dialogue Writer Award | Main Hoon Shahid Afridi | writer | 1st ARY Film Awards | WON | |
| 2016 | Best Dialogue Writer Award | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | writer | 2nd ARY Film Awards | WON | |
| 2016 | Best Screnplay Writer Award | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | writer | 2nd ARY Film Awards | WON | |
| 2016 | Best Story Award | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | writer | 2nd ARY Film Awards | WON | |
| 2016 | Best Actor in a Supporting Role Award | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | actor | 2nd ARY Film Awards | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Best Star Debut | Jawani Phir Nahi Ani | actor | 2nd ARY Film Awards | Nominated |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://jang.com.pk/thenews/Aug2013-weekly/nos-09-08-2013/she.htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.livectv.com/cocktail-dawn-news-with-vasay-chaudhry-actor-16th-february-2014/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://desirantsnraves.com/2015/01/27/vasay-chaudhry-se-sawal-you-ask-he-answers/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/fawad-khan-the-pakistani-prince-charming-660750
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUHJL3D24Pg
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/613931/main-hoon-shahid-afridi-is-box-office-hit/
- ↑ http://www.pakium.com/2014/04/28/complete-winners-list-first-ary-films-awards
- ↑ http://myipedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/mcb-home-remittance-tvc-2013.html
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.pakistantimes.com/topics/jawad-bashir/
- ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/691367/vasay-chaudhry-more-than-just-a-25-minute-sitcom-writer/
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 http://e.thenews.com.pk/newsmag/mag/detail_article.asp?magId=11&id=10202
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 http://www.magmedianews.com/vasay-chaudhry-familys-charm-the-25-minutes-sitcom-guy/
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ https://www.google.com.pk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 http://www.dawn.com/news/783234/television-sequels-the-next-big-trend
- ↑ http://reviewit.pk/yeh-shadi-nahi-ho-sakti-to-go-on-air-soon/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/786142/humayun-saeed-back-in-action-after-road-accident-in-bangkok/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://tune.pk/video/5282848/dolly-ki-aagayi-baraat-telefilm-geo-tv
- ↑ http://reviewit.pk/major-male-supporting-artists/
- ↑ http://www.moovyshoovy.com/watch-online/hindi_movie_Hari-Bhari/Video/Tamasha-Ghar--Hari-Bhari--Savera-Nadeem-Qavi-Khan-Vasay-Chaudhry/crs=youtube/vid_ID=8ehFz4wDoW6
- ↑ http://vidpk.com/c/106/Yassu-Panju-Haar-Sitcom-on-Ary/
- ↑ http://tune.pk/video/3650476/ptv-drama-na-jane-kyun-158
- ↑ http://www.dramasonline.com/kash-mein-tera-baap-na-hota-eid-special-by-geo-entertainment-latest/
- ↑ http://www.dramapakistani.net/tag/vasay-chaudhry/
- ↑ http://pakistanicinema.blogspot.com/2013/05/armaan-tarang-housefull-telefilm-watch.html
- ↑ http://www.tv-dramas.com/tv-channels/dramas/hum-tv/kahani-raima-aur-manahil-ki/episode/2
- ↑ http://www.dramapakistani.net/pyaare-afzal-episode-20-review/
- ↑ http://drama.fazeem.com/tag/vasay-chaudhry/
- ↑ http://www.dramaindustry.pk/ishq-for-sale-eid-special-telefilm-full-on-hum-tv/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOPWUWH421g
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
