02 September,2026 01:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Zakir Khan. Pic via Instagram
Zakir Khan is taking his signature storytelling a little closer to home with his upcoming stand-up special Papa Yaar. Blending nostalgia, family anecdotes and plenty of humour, the special turns the comedian's relationship with his father into the heart of a deeply personal set.
Papa Yaar looks beyond the usual stand-up punchlines to explore how a child's relationship with a parent can change with age. What once feels like authority and restriction can, years later, turn into understanding, friendship and gratitude.
Through stories drawn from his childhood, Zakir reflects on growing up, rebelling against his family and struggling to understand the lessons his father was trying to impart. With time, however, the comedian says he began seeing those same lessons differently.
"As a child, I rebelled against my family and its legacy. I often felt that I was going against everything my father was trying to teach me," Zakir said. Looking back, he now credits his father for much of the foundation on which he has built his life.
For Zakir, Papa Yaar is ultimately a thank-you note to his father and to the fathers who quietly influence their children without necessarily expecting recognition for it. Zakir was earlier this year admitted to Lilavati Hospital.
What makes the special particularly interesting is the way Zakir appears to approach the subject without losing the humour audiences associate with him. The stories are rooted in personal experiences, but the emotions behind them are likely to feel familiar to anyone who has watched their relationship with a parent evolve over the years.
The comedian describes the special as an exploration of the point when a father stops being viewed simply as a parent and begins to feel more like a companion or confidant. That shift, he suggests, comes with a new appreciation for the person behind the role of "Papa". Earlier, Zakir had also opened up about taking a break from stage shows.
And now, that very personal collection of stories is set to reach a much wider audience. With Papa Yaar arriving on Netflix, Zakir hopes viewers across the world will find something of their own family relationships in his experiences.
"I hope people around the world watch Papa Yaar with their families, laugh together, feel together," he said, adding that perhaps the special might even encourage audiences to think of their own fathers and give them a call.
With laughter, childhood memories and a generous dose of emotion, Papa Yaar looks set to be Zakir Khan at his most personal and possibly his most relatable. The stand-up special premieres September 18 on Netflix.
