Laughter Challenged

[soniya]

Right after saas bahus spread out their kitchenware all over the airwaves, creative heads decided they’ve had had enough of colourful girl talk. And immediately after Indian Idol happened. And since then, bedroom squabbles travelled out of their less glittery confines and settled on the shoulders of lyricists, music directors, actors past their primes and almost anybody who has had a shot at celebrity-hood. Comedy reality shows were very much a part of the clan, but went easy on the nerves with the absence of vigorous cat-fighting.

However, today, if you surf channels, loud laughter perfectly on cue, people making strange faces, and a joke too many greet you any time of the day.Comedian and actor Suresh Menon, who is the latest to have jumped onto the comedy bandwagon says with characteristic humour,


“For me, it was almost a promotion. From a performer to a judge, the reason I took up Hello Kaun Pehchaan Kaun was this promotion.” Menon recognizes the fact that there are too many comedy shows on TV. “But it’s a good thing to have a little more of the positive things,” he laughs.Hello Kaun… on Star One searches for the best mimic in the country and probably doesn’t stand the risk of living off laughter cues. But the profusion of comic talent shows have seen to it, that most of them gradually turn corny, repetitive and crass at times too. “Reality TV in India has been mostly working on music, dance and comedy.

Comedy is easy to do and also gets better responses, so most channels try to bank on it,” says Ashvini Yardi, programming head of Colours, which has recently launched a comedy reality shown with children called Chhotey Miyan.And given the run time of most of these shows, it’s not surprising that people run out of script ideas. “It’s almost always the same people, the same format with cosmetic changes that channels pit against each other as shows to garner TRPs. In the process, viewers suffer from a sort of fatigue,” says comedian and anchor Mir.“It is very difficult to write comedy, to make people laugh without looking forced,” says Shailja Kejriwal, creative head, NDTV Imagine. And for reality shows too, the script has to be written, even if by the participants.And after a prolonged run time, most ideas become repetitive and slapstick.“What we need is good comedy writers,” adds Kejriwal. Yardi, while conceptualizing Chhote Miyan, too ran into the roadblock that was familiarity. “We brainstormed a lot, but most things turned out to be same, that’s when the idea to include kids came,” says Yardi. And most obviously the observational humour that the kids bring into the show became the change the channel wanted.But then, a refreshing change is not close at hand.


“At times, even as anchors, we have to play to the galleries. Like there’s this huge build-up about the contestants’ personal life, with a lot of soppy emotion. After some time, it just distracts the viewers,” says Mir. Agrees Menon, though comedy shows do garner TRPs, we have to take their success with a pinch of salt. “The best shows are those which have spontaneity to them,” says Menon.

A concept that Indian TV is yet to wake up to. “The format of comedy shows in the West, actually requires contestants to react to a given funny situation. If you can’t perform, you face the music,” explains Mir. Something like this is probably required to bring comedy on Indian television out of the rut of Sidhuisims and dry guffaws. We hope someday soon, when we learn tell between fun and fake.