Comedy conquests

Thursday, November 09, 2006
Comedy evokes pure laughter whether it is Bollywood or Hollywood. The genre with its diverse ramifications and specifications as black comedy, parodies, romantic comedies and even comedy of manners can create torrents of laughter as one gets the experience of humour at its pinnacle. Comedy has ardent fans across the world be it Charlie Chaplin's dramatics, Laurel and Hardy's hysterics, Buck Spencer's stoic yet persuasive comical effect, Jim Carrey, Chris Tucker and Will Smith with their simple yet infectious humour and so forth. Chaplin once remarked, "Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain. "

Hollywood has over the years perfected the art of simple and pristine which does not relegate into a state of mere farce. The art of comedy perfected with the passage of time has undergone a paradigm shift from when the movies were solely made for the sake of laughter to the present day humorous circumstances arising out of the plot. The sequence of events gives way to plain comedy. Humour is mostly situational wherein the dialogues convey the hidden implications subtly and the characters act as the props serving to this end. Unexpected messy affairs during an otherwise organized wedding (Father of the Bride), jugglery between love and friendship (My Best Friend's Wedding), a unique combination of action and comedy (Rush Hour), etc to name a few have led the audience to consider comedy as part and parcel of the whole package, the film in its entirety.

Comedies universally acknowledged as inevitable to the skeletal framework of film are churned out in various fashions in Hollywood. They refer to epochal comedies straddling a particular historical moment, comedies with reference to plot, etc. Sequels comedies have done brisk business as major exciting modes of laughter experience akin to the 'Carry On' series, Carry On Doctor, Carry on Matron, etc, the Home Alone sequels dealing with a child's hilarious yet adventurous escapades with law detractors and the unparalleled Mr.Bean and his riveting comedy of intricate mannerisms, etc.

Television has also caught up with the comedy line with its share of sequels, the various seasons of Friends, little nuances of Small Wonder, etc. Mostly restricted to one episode of humorous events, the sequels undertake a novel job where the sequence of events is unfurled in a single episode, with crisp and curt dialogues catching the reader in a single shot. Of late children's movies have become extremely popular with various movies gaining immense popularity - Harry Potter series, animations, cartoons (Tom and Jerry, Lion King, Jungle Book, etc) and small time thrillers.

Comedies had, have and will have a dedicated clientele with new ones joining the roll who are on the lookout for hours of gaiety and pleasure to unburden the saddles of life.

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