HUMOUR ON A ROLL

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We are not the dry British, the direct Americans or the polite French. Arrey, we are jolly-good Indians, no? We like a hearty laugh, we love our innuendoes, secretly think dirty is funny and when a friend slips on a banana peel,

we laugh loudly for full ten minutes before helping him to his feet. But the humour scene in India is rapidly changing. New mediums and genres have emerged to create a new world of laughter.

When Censor Fails, Blogs Succeed
We now sniff for jokes wherever we get them. SMS forwards, emails and blogs are our latest pills for humour. Arnab Ray, who vents his thoughts on the widely read blog Great Bong and author of the May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss, enumerates that blogs not being obligated by the demands of advertisers and TRPs get away with more clarity than allowed on television. “Since blogs are not read by the majority who watch TV, bloggers can be edgy and escape from those who go on dharnas.” He feels the absence of pseudo censorship is the reason why some of the funniest stuff being written on India is available on the net.
Rahul Roushan, whose Faking News website is very popular, feels humour is the biggest draw for any blog reader and they are getting more popular as people are slowly getting tired of TV. “Internet has become a part of the lifestyle of most urban Indians and they cannot miss such blogs due to their popularity on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, there is a lot of opinion that is generated online,” he says.
Internet has spread the good cheer to animation and cartoon category as well. Cartoons are now saying things that are well, very, very bad. Sahil Rizwan, whose webcomic, Fly, You Fools is a big draw, says here no topic is too sacred. “Webcomics are the wave of the future, mostly because of the no-holds-barred environment. No celebrity or topic is untouchable if they are worthy of being made fun of,” he says.

Are ‘We Still Like That Only?’
Somewhere along the line, have we, the ‘We are like that only’ nation, lost the ability to laugh at ourselves? Ad man Prahlad Kakkar believes that to be the case and attributes it to the sudden rise of cultural superiority. “Everyone gets all hot and bothered over everything and people have suddenly turned picky and sensitive. They are taking themselves too seriously and the time for laughter is over,” he rues.
Graphic novelist Sarnath Banerjee thinks mimicry and stereotypes have been the stock in trade for most mainstream humour. “The only place where humour still exists is among the working class, where it is a way of survival. Someone has rightly said the higher we go, the dryer we become,” he says.
Celluloid funny man Suresh Menon believes Indian humour has always had the ability to laugh at itself. “There have been numerous tales of Birbal making fun of Akbar, but he wasn’t thrown into the gallows for doing that. Instead of progressing, Indian humour, especially on television, has become more constrained and repressed, as compared to the days of brilliant series like Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi,” he says.

What Exactly is So Funny?
The Indian brand of humour has a distinct class-mass divide. While the so-called educated lot sniggers at dark, sarcastic humour, the frontbenchers whistle at every below the belt joke. Director Sajid Khan admits to doctoring his film Housefull to suit everyone’s taste. “There are several scenes in Housefull, which I personally don’t find funny, but I had to include them as I knew a certain section would be rolling on the floor with laughter.”
Popular RJ Nitin, who hosts the drive-time show for Red FM, feels confused about what makes Indians laugh. “India is not repeating her choices. While a slapstick Golmaal could work, so could an intelligent Hera-Pheri. But a De Dhana Dhan in the same vein would flop and so would Hera-Pheri’s sequel. I think it’s about not pushing the envelope too hard, “ he says.

Last Comic Standing
English took its own time to develop a comfortable relationship with Indian humour and it has now found its own niche. It has given rise to a variety of stand-up comic acts. Vir Das, Papa CJ and Russel Peters are a few leading names in this genre. Papa CJ has recently started his own mic nights, where new talent is showcased. He says, “Open mic nights are the grassroots of live stand-up. This is the gym where the training takes place and you see performers stretch themselves beyond their comfort zones.”
He insists it is best enjoyed live. “It’s like sex — an art form best enjoyed live and not in front of a camera.”
Cartoonist and recently turned stand-up artist, Rajneesh Kapoor sees a revolution ready to rock the comic scene in the form of stand-up comedy. He says, “Until a year ago, there was no place for people like me to even think of making a foray into this genre. But now there is an explosion with open mic nights happening everywhere. And the audience seems to be loving it!”