‘Chaplin’ brings cheer during pandemic
PESHAWAR: In the bustling northern Pakistani city of Peshawar, a man in a bow tie and bowler hat, carrying a cane, flamboyantly weaves through traffic, narrowly avoiding rickshaws, motorcycles and buses in a scene reminiscent of a 1920s silent film.
Usman Khan used to sell children’s toys from a roadside stand but during the Covid19 pandemic has transformed himself into Charlie Chaplin, a century after the silent comedian was propelled to global fame with his slapstick antics.
‘‘When the coronavirus was around, a lot of people were in real stress. Some people gave up on life,’’ Khan said.
‘‘I was watching Charlie’s videos and thought, ‘Let me act like Charlie.’.’’
Khan dons the costume of Chaplin’s character ‘‘The Tramp’’, with fake moustache and a little eyeliner. He takes to the streets, often accompanied by friends filming him, hoping to bring a bit of cheer in dreary times.
His Chaplin visits a gym to interrupt a pingpong match, attempting to hit the ball with his cane, and draws ire from shopkeepers as he upends their wares, coming close to landing himself in trouble, as his namesake often did in his films. But he also draws the laughter of children who gather round him.
In just two months, he has gained more than 800,000 followers on social media platform Tik Tok — people, he says, from around the globe who find his comedy a welcome respite from the pandemic. — Reuters