Have we no sense of humour?

Kartik KJ

When one of my friends posted on facebook that he really misses Sarabhai vs Sarabhai and Khichadi, I couldn’t agree more. So this is in wonderment if (and why) comedy fails to find prime-time viewership in India.

Have we no talent to write humour? Worse, have we no sense of humour?

Yes there have been the occasional comedy series – Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhalke, Khichadi, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. But they have been few and far between. And lets be honest, how many of these got ‘prime time’ audience? Even sarabhai vs sarabhai, arguably the best sitcom, won more critical acclaim than TRP per se.

What’s with the obsession of seeing depressed women? Our primetime is but a spectacle of the agony of being a woman - the oppressed woman, the sacrificing woman, the ugly woman, the dark complexioned woman, the everliving woman (read Baa). It’s almost like our primetime has been held hostage by the Saas Bahu drama.

There’s nothing that makes you sit up and watch. Yes, I know the next big thing is reality TV. All ‘reality’ TV seems to be played up these days. As one of the contestants on the first season of Big Boss observed, “In its first season, the contestants hardly knew what they are supposed to do. Now, every character seems to talk to the camera, and strike a pose once in a while.” But the relief is that at least the camera angles didn’t pan four times from KRK to Rohit when the bottle was flung. And, no woman was singing a ‘dard bhara alaap’ when Shamita cried of being hurt! And guess what - the I&B ministry has problems with Big Boss for violence.

But where has the comedy gone? I am tired of laughing AT people. The only comedy we seem to have these days revolve around over the top characters forcing you to laugh at their sillyness – Ulta Chasma, Maniben etc. (Ulta Chasma is still a better watch of the current lot). The benchmark for these is the inimitable Hansa-Praful pair of Khichadi fame. Nothing could match that and trying to do the same thing again is like hearing the same joke in other words – hardly draws a laugh. Moreover, our concept of SIT-COM (situational comedy) seems to be lost - It is good sometimes to laugh AT people, but when will we finally laugh WITH characters of a series and AT situations.

Genuine Comedy is becoming so rare, that I wonder if there comes a day when Hansa hears the word genuine - will she go all clumsy, dizzy in her face, and plead, “Aye, Haye Prafool!!! Ye jay-noo-in matlab?"

“Jay-noo-in, hansaaaaaa……”