The Many Faces of Comedy

The Many Faces of Comedy

Mehmoodji in different Indian movies.

Cinema has always been something I have been interested in. In my free time (which I have in abundance, currently), I decided to watch some of the classic movies of Indian cinema. From parallel cinema to comedy films, from movies by Shyam Benegal to classic comedy movies. I cried on subjects too serious and laughed in joy while watching these movies.

When it comes to acting, Bollywood has given us versatile actors like Sanjeev Kumar, Farooq Shaikh, Naseeruddin Shah, Kishore Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil to name a few. But my most favorite versatile actor is the king of comedy, none other than, the acknowledged comedian actor of Indian cinema Mehmoodji, who took comedy to another level in India. I call him versatile because he was not just an actor, but also a singer, writer, and director. Can you forget his movie ‘kunwara baap’, which had a social message, in the era when mainstream filmmakers did not dare to experiment with a socially engaging cinema. In times when people in our country are so obsessed with fairness, he gives motivation to the people with dark skin through his song ‘hum kaale hai toh kya hua’, which again gives a social message that one should not just go for looks, but also look at one's heart, because looks may fade with time, but a person with a good heart will remain the same till his/her death.

Today I decided to write about Mehmoodji, not to remind everyone about his versatility, but because he happened to be the only person who could actually make me laugh with tears of joy through his comic timing. I’m a person who doesn’t laugh easily, at times I even fake laugh at jokes, but this man Mehmoodji is such a great actor, that he made me laugh through his acting skills and comic timing. Trust me, not even movies and clips of Sir Charles Chaplin could make me laugh, whereas Mehmoodji did.

I owe a lot to this man and hence, decided to write a short piece on him. If you’re someone like me, who's forgotten to laugh, I strongly recommend you to watch his movies or if you’re going through depression, his comic timing will help you relax and come out of your depression.

Thank you from the deepest bottom of my heart to you Mehmoodji for making me and many people like me laugh till our stomachs ached. You are my hero.

P.S. the article is completely written as per my knowledge of Indian cinema and as a tribute to the person I admire, I hope I don’t offend anyone’s emotions. Please shed light if you think I am wrong.