Pakistan's 'Charlie Chaplin' bringing laughs to frontier city

Khan has attracted more than 850,000 followers and garnered millions of likes on TikTok

Last updated: February 12, 2021 | 10:01

AFP and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Senior Web Editor

2 MIN READ

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Wearing a bowler hat and familiar toothbrush moustache, Pakistan's Usman Khan darts through traffic swinging a cane, teasing motorists and shopkeepers for laughs and a few rupees with a Charlie Chaplin impersonation that has become a viral sensation.

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The 32-year-old actor in bustling Peshawar hopes the silent film antics of old will bring a bit of joy to the residents of the notoriously chaotic frontier city.

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Khan said the idea to impersonate Chaplin's iconic character from "The Tramp" came to him as he watched a video of the legendary silent film actor while recovering from an illness.

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"I thought that I should start acting like Charlie and spread happiness among the people, to take their minds off the coronavirus pandemic," Khan told AFP.

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Dressed as Chaplin, Khan leaps into passing rickshaws, annoys local shopkeepers, and occasionally swats onlookers with his cane as he shuffles bow-legged across the city, where he is frequently mobbed by fans asking for selfies.

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"It is my purpose to make people laugh, to make them happy, to help them get rid of their grief," said Khan.

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The act has proven to be a hit.

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In just two months, Khan has attracted more than 850,000 followers and garnered millions of likes on TikTok - the hugely popular platform in Pakistan where he uploads videos of his slapstick routine.

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But it hasn't always been all laughs for Khan, who like many in Pakistan is struggling to hold down a full-time job amid the economic fallout of the coronavirus epidemic.

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The Chaplin shtick, he said, has given him a new purpose. "That's why I like to get up like Charlie Chaplin, to hide all my worries and grief."

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