Rewind back to Comedy riot. Review on Ten Best TV Shows/Serials

Ten Great Comedy serials to linger on *

Comedy should make you laugh and should also make you think and if ever there were times when we were laughing all the time, it was laughing times of India in Pre Cable era. And where has the laugh gone now, into the Indian Ocean with sick Mega serials dished from hundreds of channels not even producing one good enjoyable fare to laugh at. Forget about all those slapstick shows and mimicries, they are far cry from real Humour. Hence have to rewind 10 years and back to just pick at 10 Great Comedy serials to rekindle us, which is all what we can do to serve ourselves because even the Great Indian Laughter challenge remains a non challenge to these ten.

Coming from South India, my choice had to be three Hindi, four English and 3 Tamil Knockouts to finish the ten which all had a thread of Family & Fun, Work & Fun & Street fun.

Yeh Joh Hai Jindagi-Kundan Shah-DD

If ever there was a comedy of lifetime, then it is Yeh Joh Hai Jindagi which gripped us with Friday Comedy fever. Fond memories of the Shafi Inamdar-Swaroop Sampath family, the Crazy boss in Satish Shah, the idle Rakesh Bedi and The Battacharyas complete grandeur of comedy, simply the best Family fun you can ask for.

Nukkad –Saeed Mirza-DD

Saeed Mirza takes you to the streets (Nukkad) and runs you out of wits with simply hilarious stuff yet touching our Hearts all the time. Who can forget the Guru, Khader, Ganshu, Tambi and Ganpat and the loveable teacherji (Rama Vij). Samir Kakkar(Khopdi) as Drunkard gave him role also in Pushpak-Kamal Haasan’s silent movie where again he excels. Mirza even if he wants to, can never make another classic comedy like this in his lifetime.

Dekh Bhai Dekh –DD Metro (Produced by Jaya Bachchan)

Another rib tickling comedy for which Sony TV paid a ransom to bring across the Globe from DD and got caught at Customs. The Cast of Navin Nischol, Shekhar Suman, Shushma sheth, Farida Jalaal and Vishal Singh (his romantic servitudes unyielding) are still etched in fond memories.. Shekhar Suman became quite popular after this serial and Liliput Faruqui is also fondly remembered for the script.

Some Mothers do ave em-DD

One of the finest English comedies which BBC has produced became instant hit in DD as well. Michael Crawford makes you laugh non stop like no one else has in a serial that remains the funniest of em all. The Car driving episode and the baby cradling, sex classes are all quite hilarious stuff seen two decades back when at School. Whatever Michael does, he lands in trouble-comedy of mismanagement.

Are you being served. -Jeremy Llyod-DD (BBC)

We were served with fantastic comedy in a departmental store (Grace Brother’s departmental Store), kind of which we had never seen in India. Full of double meaning, it introduced to classic English usage with multiple inferences in normal working place with fine delectable humor. They simply dressed to thrill us.

I Love Lucy-William Asher –DD

Simply the best of the Lucy show which went for years of watching fun. Lucille Bell is one of the funniest one woman show that you can ever remember with her amazing sense of humor.

Yes Minister-DD

Classical political comedy which we have seen once and for all in India thanks to DD, the satire and undercurrent behind humour takes us to different level of Comedy. Paul Eddington as James Hacker is a standout. This serial taught us how to talk English, the funny humorous and eloquent way in School.

? Vanna Kolangal-S Venkatraman-DD

S Ve Shekhar synonomous with Tamil stage Comedy has even entered Guiness Book of Records for making audience laugh most times in short period. His word jingles and timing of jokes is simply outstanding. Another family comedy with Kutti Padmini as female lead can be described in the same class and Genre as Yeh Jo hai Jindagi.

The best episodes were Buying Cow and learning Hindi-a real Treat for Sunday Morning.

? Madhu Cheenu-Crazy Mohan

Another stalwart of Comedy is Mohan called as Crazy Mohan after his Crazy thieves Drama is very popular for the dialogues of the Tamil Movies Avai Shanmugi (Chachi 420), Aboorva Sagotharargal (Appu Raja) and Vasool Raja ( Munabhai) all comedy flicks of Kamal. There cannot be a better situational Comedy writer than Crazy Mohan who drives us Crazy from this Crazy extension of Madhu Cheenu of Crazy time.

Flight 172-Mauli-DD

The finest comedy I have ever seen shot in the then new Airport in Chennai in 1986 is simply rib tickling stuff of which dvd/vcd has been released now. Mauli heads the Nagaswaram troop which is traveling for the first time in a flight which gets delayed and the lighter side of them roaming around in the Airport The Valayapatti with tonsured head asking the kids at the Airport, ” Want to touch my head, give me one rupee” is simply great stuff and the way he describes nose ache. . . simply non english and this goes on for 13 episodes.

It is amazing how a Govt owned Doordarshan has produced so many glittering comedies including the ones they bought from BBC and what we are seeing today is slapstick or quite banal stuff. Quality goes down with Quantity and the Idiot Box is the only one to be laughed at.

Readers, If you know of the DVD/CD versions of these, please let me know where they are available. I know where the tamil ones are found and the English flicks have to be picked outside India only.