Are Bollywood comedies really *that* funny?
By Sheetal Makhan
When you think of films with a comedy genre, what do you think of? For me, in Bollywood terms, comedy is the real silly, slap-stick ala Govinda – Johnny Lever – Kader Khan kind of films. I got to thinking of recent Bollywood films that have been classified as comedy, and I was surprised to see that there was a common plot that ran through the films I’m about to mention.
They all dealt with infidelity! The films usually revolve around men and their mistresses and, most of the time the comedy lies in the way they sneak around trying to see “the other woman”.
I found it particularly interesting, because our culture prides itself on the sanctity of marriage. And yet, in Bollywood, marriage is torn to pieces and extra-marital affairs are made fun of and regarded as being cute!
I have decided to list only the films that come to the top of my head, but the common theme is about the “fun” that men want to have outside of their marriages. I just wonder – what kind of message is being sent out to audiences? That it’s acceptable to explore other options if you’re bored in your marriage?
BIWI NO.1 (1999)
Directed by: David Dhawan
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Karisma Kapoor, Tabu
In Biwi No. 1, Salman is married to Karisma but when he hires Sushmita Sen as a model he falls in love with her, he leaves his wife for her.
GHARWALI BAHARWALI (1998)
Directed by: David Dhawan
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Rambha
In this film, Raveena Tandon and Anil Kapoor are married – but unable to have children. His father (played by Kader Khan) urges him to find another wife, but he doesn’t want to. When he goes to Nepal, he somehow finds himself being married to Rambha – who, (to cut a long story short) has his baby. Meanwhile, he’s still married to Raveena!
MAINE PYAR KYUN KIYA? (2005)
Directed by: David Dhawan
Starring: Salman Khan, Sushmita Sen, Katrina Kaif, Sohail Khan
This story is about a bachelor (Salman Khan), who is in love with a model (Katrina Kaif). He doesn’t want the relationship to develop any further, so he tells her that he is already married. When Katrina insists on meeting his ‘wife’, he gets his nurse (Sushmita Sen) to act as his other half.
MASTI (2004)
Directed by: Indra Kumar
Starring: Vivek Oberoi, Aaftab Shivdasani, Ritesh Deshmukh, Lara Dutta
The film revolves around the Vivek, Aaftab and Ritesh and their lust for women. They are all bored in their marriages and decide to spice up their boring lives. Enter Lara Dutta. The men soon realize that they have made a terrible mistake and regret having their extra-marital flings.
NO ENTRY (2005)
Directed: Anees Bazmee
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta
No Entry is the story of three men (Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan and Fardeen Khan) who are three friends. The bachelor of the group (Salman) persuades his friends to have fun outside of their marriages. His idea of ‘fun’ is the sexy club dancer, Bipasha Basu – which many men are unable to resist. The rest of the film is about how the two married men lie to their ever-doting wives to conceal their affairs.
November 29th, 2006 at 11:38 pm
Very interesting post, Sheetal. Very very thought-provoking.
I have never seen a Govinda movie (he’s just never crossed my path), but Johnny Lever I find both very amusing and annoying. I like that broad, slapstick kind of humour though… it serves its purpose. I really liked ‘Baadshah’ for example… but I digress.
This whole it’s-so-side-splittingly-funny-when-a-man-tries-to-run-around-on-his-wife thing is interesting. I haven’t seen KANK (in which I hear both a man and a woman are unfaithful) but it’s not a comedy and doesn’t really fall into this category, right?
I haven’t seen any of the movies you mentioned, but I have heard that there is a trend for making comedies about extramarital ‘fun and games’ in Bollywood at the moment.
Interesting, because I recall that ’sex comedies’ of this type (if I’ve got the right idea) were big in Hollywood in the 50s - with the Doris Day/Ruck Hudson movies and others starring people like Bob Hope. There was a particular Bob Hope one that was all about how he was trying to set up a rendezvous with his mistress in a motel room and it kept getting interrupted - sooo sooo funny (yeah right). I think the wise consensus was eventually that those movies degraded women, so there was a move away from them.
What I’d like to know is, are there any of these new comedies in which it’s the wives who are being tempted by sexy Hrithik-types and running around on their husbands? Cos I betcha people would find that real FUNNY!! ‘Astitva’ which was the polar opposite of funny and treated infidelity as a serious issue, is still getting a load of flak because it was the woman’s cheating that was in issue.
In defence of these movies though (a hypothetical defence I hasten to add), is there an extent to which the content of these movies is reflected in society? I mean, is this stuff really happening in a way it wasn’t before (or wasn’t acknowledged to be happening before) in Indian society? Would love to hear thoughts on this…
Oops… sorry I went on a bit…
December 1st, 2006 at 7:39 am
hm, indian comedy could often not be understood by foreigners like me. but if you, sheetal, write about not understanding indian comedy…
is comedy in indian movies some reflecting indian life or not? and why don’t westerners like this harmless fun?
February 21st, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Hey Sheetal, nice work!
May 2nd, 2007 at 2:43 pm
Sushmita Sen…
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