The Great Indian Laughter Challenge

It is a lot harder to make people laugh than to make them cry. But after years of success at the latter - thanks to the saas bahu series of soap sagas - Indian television is finally attempting to tickle our funny bones.

Ironically, the first memorable show on Indian TV was way back in 1983 a sitcom - Kundan Shah's Yeh jo hai zindagi. It is an all time classic. But nothing quite lived upto that for the next two decades.

Indian television comedies were pretty much 'lowest common denominator' - loud and slapstick. 'Hum Paanch' was maybe, slightly tolerable, only because of characters like Kaajal bhai and the dead wife on the wall (Priya Tendulkar) were imaginative (relatively speaking).

But, then the drought finally ended. With 'Sarabhai vs Sarabhai' Star One finally had a winner.

Saaru chhe
Sarabhai had all the elements necessary for a good sitcom -
1) A small but clearly defined cast of characters (like Rosesh the duffer son who wrote insufferable poetry)
2) An inherent - and exaggerated - clash of values producing comic situations (the sophisticated saas vs the middle class bahu).
3) Great acting (not just the big names like Ratna Pathak Shah, Satish Shah - everyone played their parts well!)
4) Great scripts and dialogue
5) Consistency

Sarabhai was (very loosely) inspired by Dharma and Greg but had a life and locus of quite its own. The same team (Jamnadas Majethia & Aatish Kapadia) also wrote, produced and directed another weekly sitcom - Instant Khichdi.

Khichdi started life on Star Plus and was later migrated to Star One. In the process the Gujarati family whose antics the show features also suddenly became crorepatis looking for new - and hilarious - ways and means to spend their money.

Instant Khichdi was also entertaining but of late the Praful-Hansa PJs lost their zing. Sarabhai was more sophisticated - and relied less on physical comedy - and hence got the vote as India's no 1 television sitcom.

Talent galore
What's more, the Great Indian Laughter Challenge - also aired on Star One - was on a hunt for India's "hasi ka baadsha". And was definitely worth a watch. Many a times the audience was struck by the originality and style of many baadshahs who were so good that the judges and audience had to declare a tie.

While some contestants merely related jokes - although with considerable chutzpah - the two who made it to the last round were stand up comics in the true sense. They used their own accents/ background/ world around them to create a very unique and personal brand of humour.

The Hyderabadi chap used his Hyderabadiness to great effect. His song 'Usne Paaya Khaaya' (usne including Bill Kalinton, Mrs Kalinton, Pervez Musharraf, Adnan Sami, and even Saddam Hussein) was absolutely hilarious. But hilarious while making a larger point - which is what the best humour was about.

Deepak Raja from Jalandhar put his own mama, chacha, foofas and taayas to good use while scripting his routine. The fact that he was dressed in an abonimable pink suit teamed with a flowery shirt didn't matter at all. What he said and the way he said it was so ... funny!

India has a long tradition of haasya kavi sammelans where little known and well known poets gathered. These kavis wrought out humour from everyday Indian life - some of it, truly priceless.

These kavis - and other homegrown talents like Deepak and his Hyderabadi counterpart - are the ones who will really raise the standards of humour in India.

And by the way, will someone PLEASE give Navjot Singh Sidhu his own show. Whatever you may feel about his cricket commentary (in English) Sidhu is amazing in Hindi. Witty AND insightful. As a judge on the 'Laughter Challenge' he laughed easily and loudly. A man jiske dil mein koi gile shikve nahin they. Shekhar Suman on the other hand was stiff and 'professional'. Plus he wore dark glasses - on air!

Yeh tha attitude
Shekhar Suman: Sidhuji bataiye, jab log Sardaron ke baare mein jokes sunaate hain, aapko kabhi bura toh nahin lagta

Sidhu: Kabhi nahin! Chaand ke upar agar koi thooke toh kya use daag lag sakta hai??!! 

If more of us believed that - instead of taking 'offence' easily when the joke's on us - the world would resound more often with laughter.