|
|
From Naveed's Website - http://www.naveedmahbub.com/
Naveed is what you will expect to not see in a comedian. A first generation FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) immigrant from Bangladesh and an engineer (surprise, surprise), he threw himself into the world of comedy fueled by his burning desire to tell a great story to his grand kids when he’s 80. He owes it all to the famous Sandi C. Shore, whose comedy workshop opened up a new side of him that he never knew existed. Growing up as a person who feared public speaking, a fear second only to death, Naveed now lives for the very rush of being on stage to lighten people’s minds and hearts in an otherwise stressed out world.
Naveed is an observationist and bases his material on culture, politics, contemporary issues, immigrants/immigration, religion, Corporate America and stories from his lifelong passion, travel. His comedy is un-offensive, un-hurtful and 150% clean (he doesn’t know that many dirty English words anyway). Besides, why limit humor to a limited audience?
The Engineer Naveed (Dr. Jekyll) has kept the Comedian Naveed (Mr. Hyde) within Area 51. Aside from his fellow comedian friends, only his wife and best
friend, Zara, knows of his evening affairs. This web site and his rapid growth into the world of comedy, is likely to put an end to that. The cat is now
out of the bag…
Aside from his native Bengali, Naveed is fluent in English (when not mumbling) and knows a little Spanish, Hindi and Urdu. He can read/write Arabic (no, he’s not a terrorist). Naveed is a Competent Toastmaster and has appeared in lead roles in four TV commercials – Pepsi, Peps Toothpaste, Red Cow Milk and Duncan Tea which were aired on national television in Bangladesh. He was also a regular on Bangladesh’s largest and first radio station, Bangladesh Betar (Radio Bangladesh), for educational programs. He also appeared in quiz shows and children’s drama on Bangladesh Television.
Naveed is 20 years behind in joining his fellow comedians on the rough road to success. In the meantime, he got his BS in Electrical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology and MS in Electrical Engineering from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The lure of Corporate America made him intentionally flunk his PhD qualifying exams, only to eventually discover his mere upgradation to a glorified peon-extraordinary. Regardless, he owes a debt to his employers in between - Takata, Wingcast, Ford Motor Company, Kyocera-Wireless and Qualcomm, for making him a better man and for enriching him with a truck load of comedy material. Being a misfit as an engineer (technophobia, marriage to a former model and no geek-speak), Naveed is now a part-time MBA student at The University of California Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of Business Development at a semiconductor company, Linear IC Inc. He did not kill his brain cells with any bad habits in his younger days, having secured the 5th position among 90,000 students in Bangladesh’s nationwide high school graduation examination – an accomplishment that earned him the prestigious Chancellor’s Award from the President of Bangladesh and a full scholarship through college.
Naveed is an avid traveler, having lived in and traveled to 23 countries in 5 continents. He plays the tabla (Indian drums), the piano and oh yes, tennis
too. Naveed is married to Zara, his #1 supporter of his comedy pursuits. They have a little daughter, Zaina (and yes, Naveed has his cricket bat ready
to fend off the boys) and live in sunny San Diego, CA.
Interview with Naveed -
Naveed Mahbub and his stand-up comedy
Engineer-turned-stand-up comedian Naveed Mahbub is rapidly making his mark on the US stand-up comedy scene. A popular host of various shows on TV and radio, recognition has come his way with the award of the Best Male Comedian in the '2007 Las Vegas Comedy Festival.'
In an interview with The Daily Star, Naveed touched on a variety of subjects such as his sudden career switch, facets of his “not so popular” profession in Bangladesh and his future plans. Excerpts from the interview:
What is your background?
Naveed: I am a student of electrical engineering. I graduated from BUET and went on to do my Master's in electrical engineering from the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor. Later, I worked for 13 years as an engineer with the Ford Motor Company, Kyocera-Wireless and Qualcomm. Three years ago I embarked
on stand-up comedy.
So you are a relatively new entrant to stand-up comedy?
Naveed: Three years is regarded as quite substantial in this medium. I took an intensive course in California, under Sandy Shores, a renowned comedy instructor
from California. The Sandy Shore Comedy Workshop is quite well known in the US.
I began my career there while I was still doing my engineering job and then went on to do my MBA at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2007, I went to the Las Vegas Comedy Festival where the judges were from Hollywood. I consider myself fortunate to have bagged the award as Best Male Comedian That gave me a lot of exposure and I began performing four to five times a week. Slowly I started shifting away from my engineering job. Now I do a lot of corporate shows, various programmes on TV and radio. I have even done a very small part in a film called, You don't mess with Zohan, featuring Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider.
Are you active while in Dhaka?
Naveed: Yes, I have explored the opportunities here. My feeling is that there isn't any real stand-up comedy scene here in comparison with the West. My
stay here has been great but I am of the opinion that it's tougher to make the Bangladeshis laugh than the Americans because the former are less expressive.
Are you into Bengali comedy?
Naveed: Yes, I began that seven months ago in the US and got a gig to perform for a Bangladeshi audience. I've performed at Kozmo Lounge, Deja Vu, Dhaka
Club and at Hotel Sheraton during the NRB conference.
What are your future plans about generating public interest here in stand-up comedy?
Naveed: I have several plans. The media can play a big role and quite a few TV and radio channels have displayed interest. However, if I have to go into
it on a regular basis I have to come here more frequently. In my view the humour has to be topical, so recorded versions from the US may not work that
well. For example you can talk about the traffic jams here. I am also thinking of setting up a comedy club here where people can learn to appreciate stand-up
comedy. In a nutshell, I would say there is immense potential for this genre in Bangladesh.
Naveed's Blog -
Naveed on MySpace - http://myspace.com/naveedmahbub
Naveed on Facebook -
Naveed Quotes