My Favourites. Review on Five Best Hindi Comedy Movies

There have been several comedy movies in Hindi which have had a big impact on us. Some are hilarious due to their oneliners (I mean dialogue) and some are great comedies due to the action of the caste. Some try o do a lot of things in attempts to make it a comedy and fail miserably due to lack of logic and some are movies, that give a balanced, laid back approach to comedy letting it sink in.

I enjoy all kinds… including the absolute stupid movies without logic also!!!

It is actually too difficult to pick up just 5 out of such a great list of comedies. However, we need to restrict only 5. Hence, while making the list, I am taking only those 5, which I have enjoyed personally, need not be the BO verdict.

Believe me, each one of them is phenomenal and a MUST WATCH for all comedy lovers.

Padosan

If I talk on the plot of this one, I’ll be unfair to the movie. No other comedy movie had this impact on the Hindi Film scenario. In fact, Filmfare awards started the award for best comedian only after this movie became a hit. The three characters in the lead role (Mahmood, Kishore Kumar and Sunil Dutt) have been unforgettable. The south Indian Masterjee, the naïve Bhola and the pan chewing Guru have all been characters to remember. The music for the comedy numbers were too good. In fact, I think the two songs – Ek Chatur Naar and Mere Pyare Baalam are the two greatest ever comedy numbers in India.

My Favourite Scene: Of course… the song… Ek Chatur Naar

Hera Pheri

This superhit film from 2000 showed that audience do have a good taste for food comedies and the stars need not make funny faces to grab their attention. The well written dialogues and the excellent delivery by the star cast made it a movie that does not give you a moments’ respite from laughter. The performance of the three actors in lead (Paresh Rawal, Sunil Shetty and Akshay Kumar) have been wonderful and so has been Om Puri in the short appearance.

My Favourite Scene: The exchange of oneliners (especially Paresh Rawal) during the first meeting with Sunil Shetty. Just look at this….

Paresh Rawal: Are koi bhi aam ho!!!!

Chupke Chupke

When we talk of subtle performances mixed with excellent direction, how can we leave out Chupke Chupke. With two big action stars, it needs an equally great director to come out with a comedy. What made the film funny was the overuse of correct Hindi without making it look ridiculous. Hrishikesh Mukherjee knew the boundaries and at no point of time did he stretch the scene. Interestingly, inspite of the presence of Dharmendra, Amitabh, Sharmila Tagore and Jaya Bhaduri, the star of the movie was Om Prakash.

My Favourite Scene: The song.. Ab ke saajan saawan mein… when Om Prakash tries to discretely investigate who is behind the curtains.

Baat Ban Jaaye

Let me introduce the starcast first. It included Zeenat Aman, Sanjeev Kumar, Amol Palekar, Mithun Chakraverty, Shakti Kapoor, Raj Babbar and of course.. Utpal Dutt. Each one had their share of performance and the time to deliver quality comedy.

This movie is about a very rich business lady (Zeenat Amman), who is tired of all her wealth and wants to get married to a poor man so that she can live the simple life. Now her uncle (Utpal Dutt) takes it upon himself to find a match for her. What follows is a series of poor men (read as prospective grooms played by most of the starcast above), with whom Utpal Dutt tries to make the match and some how or the other they get rich!!!

My Favourite Scene: To make the TV repairman Amol Palekar come to their place again and again (so that Zeenat Amman and he can know each other better), Utpal Dutt keeps on breaking the TV set. Amol Palekar comes with a great idea to stop whoever is doing this and next time when Utpal Dutt opens the TV set, there is a surprise for him inside!!.

Pratigyan

The success of Sholay very clearly reflected on Dharampaji’s career. One of the first films to come was Pratigyaan. A movie with a lot of dacoits, police, horse chase, a village on the valley and of course.. Hema Malini. Only difference is that it was an outright comedy.

This is the story of an illiterate village man 9Dharmendra), who by chance comes to take the role of a village Police Chief and how he creates his own army from the local alcoholic and good for nothing villagers to take on the Dacoits.

The starcast had many of the comedians of that era…. Kesto Mukherjee, Mukri, Johnny Walker, Jagdeep …. All playing a part of Dharmendra’s police force.

My Favourite Scene: Dharmendra converts the “Sharab ka Adda” into his police station. He being illiterate calls someone to change the name on the board from “Sharab ka Adda” to “Police Station.”. The man promptly does that and we saa a board that says… “Desi Police Station”!!

I am sorry to leave out the following. They are equally as good as the above list. In fact, tomorrow I may repent why I did not put the following list!!!

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (Excellent second half, just good first half)

Bombay to Goa (Very hilarious, still belongs to the second list)

Chalti ka Naam Gadi (Probably the greatest comedy of the B&W era.)

Golmaal (Probably the best of Amol Palekar)

Angoor (Sanjeev Kumar at his hilarious best)

Andaz Aapna Apna (The first meeting of the two Khans and an excellent comedy)