Junaid Akram faces backlash for ‘classist’ shot

Comedian and content creator Junaid Akram has come under fire for sharing his compilation video on the beaches of Karachi, mocking common site visitors. The video was shared on X, formerly Twitter, in response to another post that remarked on the city’s many beaches. “There are apparently 15 beaches in Karachi and I’ve only been to 5. How’s that?” read the post, to which Akram replied with his edit.

The video shows his walk on the beach with the comedian looking on with a look of comical disbelief, his reaction interspersed with clips of various groups of visitors engaging in typical activities such as jumping into the waters, shooting TikToks and dancing. Akram captioned the video, “Beaches are like,” questioning the crowd Karachi’s beach draws.

Between amusement and offense, comedy is a tricky terrain to navigate. Even more so for digital content creators who rely on video hosting services like YouTube and TikTok to build audiences. While these spaces encourage potential artists with the absence of traditional barriers to fame, access also empowers critics.

Netizens flocked to Akram’s post, refuting his documentation of people engaging in harmless fun and lumping them into a supposedly disparaging edit. Visual artist and performer Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr commented: “Don’t look at people when you go to the beach. No one in this collection was littering or disturbing the wildlife.”

The post further called out Akram for staring at people. “They don’t want some pervert making fun of them or judging them for having a good time. Respect your beaches and the people who use them with respect!’ Another post had similar fun: “The weirdest part of the beach has to be a middle-aged man walking around, acting smug and judgmental with a cameraman following him.”

A netizen accused the internet personality of harboring a superiority complex. “Sure, great comedy, but tell me on a scale of zero to the top of your superiority complex, where do you think you are? Let them do whatever makes them happy,” the netizen argued.

Highlighting the classist implications of Akram’s comedy, another said: “How dare these people entertain? Nothing should be free for them. Not even the beach. And that should be taken away from them like other basic amenities.”

The rabble-rouser continued: “These places should host yacht parties just for the rich, where some drunk observes how the poor are ruining the country’s atmosphere.” Other users similarly highlighted how Akram’s own socio-economic status affects the ridicule of how the commons are used.

An X post pointed out how most people can’t afford private rooms to entertain with dignity, adding: “Not everyone is as privileged as you to be able to book a private beach hut for 85,000 per day. Obviously, the people will go to such places for fun.”

Making his sole claim, the author of the post identified the person partially undressing in public as an out-of-context error in Akram’s editing, as the clip is from a Dubai beach. Another user X questioned the need to film visitors in the first place. “Why can’t people have a good time at the beaches? According to ethical and legal standards, what violations are being committed here?’ read the post.

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