Veteran cinema and theatre actor Naseeruddin Shah once remarked that every big Hindi film is inspired by Shakespeare in some way. Not just direct adaptations such as Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara (Othello) or Haider (Hamlet), but narratives and characterisations too have long fed off the Shakespearean oeuvre. The Comedy of Errors inspired Gulzar’s Angoor, with Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Varma sharing a rollicking time on screen, as well as Do Dooni Chaar with Kishore Kumar and Asit Sen. Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram-Leela (2013) had the Romeo-Juliet template of star-crossed lovers. Even the less-known 10ml Love starring Neil Bhoopalam and Koel Purie is a contemporary take on A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As for the staple Shakespearean clown, a rustic or uneducated fool figure who relied on low comedy to evoke laughter, Hindi cinema has churned out a constellation of these — from Johnny Walker, Mehmood, Asrani back in the day to Johnny Lever, Shakti Kapoor, Satish Kaushik and Rajpal Yadav more recently.

In the “masala fare” Bollywood dishes out routinely, the comedian has been a key ingredient alongside the rest of the cast of hero, heroine, villain, sidekicks, et al. Except, perhaps, the laughs are getting fewer and far between. It’s been a while since a loutish “Aaoo Lolitha!” — made famous by Shakti Kapoor in the 1984 film Tohfa — has captured the cinefan’s imagination. Is the comedian in Indian cinema, specifically Hindi cinema, going through an existential crisis?

Changing archetypes

Scriptwriter and adman Prasoon Joshi believes it’s a question of perspective. “It’s not that the role of comedy, be it light, slapstick, irreverent or satire, has diminished. It is the mode of delivery that has undergone a change,” he says. Joshi feels that as a society evolves, so do its stereotypes. “When cinema began in India the roles of characters were set: There was a virtuous, brave and ideal hero; an evil villain; the vamp; the virtuous damsel-in-distress heroine; and a comedian to provide the humour.” Apart from changing archetypes, Joshi points to the changing narratives pursued by filmmakers. For instance, the hero is no longer the ‘idealist’ or just romantic: “Facets previously unexplored, such as rebelliousness and anti-establishmentarianism, started seeping into his characterisation.”

Humour in the situation

Independent filmmaker and critic Sudhish Kamath concurs, but is wary of sweeping generalisations. Present-day Hindi cinema’s sensibility is changing and directors are looking to the West for inspiration. The aesthetic is maturing and familiar motifs or devices, like the stage derivative of the jester or clown, are being discarded.

He believes directors such as Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar Banerjee and Farhan Akhtar are at the forefront of this change. Comedy and humour are no longer limited to, or dependent on, one character but flow through conversations between characters instead. “The situation is emerging as the clown,” he adds. Regional cinema, largely insulated from such global shifts and slow to evolve, continues to hold a place for the traditional comic act, he makes clear.

Newer avenues

While in some ways the plot seems to have usurped the role of the comic actor, the latter too is discovering newer pastures. Joshi points out that the audience no longer depends on cinema alone for comic relief. Competing for hearty laughs are the proliferation of comedy shows on TV, stand-up comedy acts, social media videos peddling everything from slapstick to satire and insult, and easily accessible international comedic content. The comic actor edged out of a designated movie role now has several lucrative alternatives. Kamath largely agrees with this, but is quick to add that despite the four million hits for All India Bakchod’s Roast on YouTube, such events are still too few in number and the stand-up comedy space remains niche.

Hero takes all

Author and film critic Anupama Chopra thinks the role of the comic actor in Hindi cinema has receded with the diversification of the hero’s character, which often takes on comic shades as well. She, however, doesn’t see it as a recent development. “As far back as the late 1950s, actors such as Kishore Kumar began to dabble in comedy. Most recently, Aamir Khan in PK essentially played the lead protagonist and the role of the clown,” she says. Could this sound the death knell for comedians? “Not quite,” Chopra says. Despite the nepotism in the industry, if a really good actor whose strengths lie in comedy alone comes along, he will find takers; although he may no longer play a one-dimensional character. Moreover, while Hindi cinema may have evolved it still hasn’t quite rid itself of stock characterisations, she adds.

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