Laugh Out Loud…Top 10 Bollywood Comedies!!!

Comedy has always been an integral part of the movies in Bollywood. Comedians like Mehmood, Om Prakash, Kishore Kumar, Rajendra Nath, Mukri, I S Johar, Dhoomal, etc were quite natural with their comedies and had a great potential to entertain the audiences and provide an amusing atmosphere full of guffaws. Although, most of these flicks either relied on subtle romantic comedies or slapstick, but yet there are a few of them that made a mark and spoke for themselves.

Thus, am listing my Top Ten Bollywood Comedies as follows: -           

10.) Chupke Chupke- A classic comedy directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The comedy is quite situational and witty. This comedy caper boasts of some incredible performances by Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Om Prakash, Sharmila Tagore and Jaya Bhaduri. The comic timing between Om Prakash (playing “jijaji”) and Dharmendra (as Dr. Parimal Tripathi) is something to watch out for.

9.) Pyar Kiye Jaa- Another mad comedy highlighting the unconventional Kishore Kumar and the ‘genius’ Mehmood. Although the entire movie is full of antics and frolics but the best character according to me was that of Mehmood, who plays an aspiring film maker Atma and has his own so-called “production house” called as “Wah Wah Productions”. The classic scene is when he narrates his horror film’s story to his father (Om Prakash) using different sound effects that of rain drops, blowing wind & squeaking of door.

8.) Chashme Buddoor- This amazing movie by Sai Paranjape clearly depicts that it doesn’t require an exaggerated slapstick comedy to make people laugh when life itself can produce some really funny moments. The scene where Omi (Rakesh Bedi) and Jai (Ravi Baswani) narrate their respective stories to Siddhartha (Farooq Sheikh) as to how they wooed Neha (Deepti Naval) is simply hilarious.

7.) Hera Pheri- This movie by Priyadarshan portraying the antics of Babu Bhaiya (Paresh Rawal), Raju (Akshay Kumar) and Shyam (Suniel Shetty) is truly a gem. It provided a much needed dose of humour, which Indian audiences missed for a long long time. Moreover, Om Puri’s amazing act as Khadak Singh will make you fall from your seat. His entire “dhoti-kurta-pagdi” get up embellished with dialogues like “Khadak Singh ke khadakne se khadakti hain khidkiyan” and “bhai-sahab aap teeno judwe hain kya” will turn audiences breathless.

6.) Johar Mehmood In Hong Kong- A comedy caper that had a string of comedians like Mehmood, I S Johar, Agha, Mukri, Junior Mehmood, Tuntun, etc. Even actors like Kamal Kapoor and Pran were quite humorous with their villainous acts.

5.) Half Ticket- The entire story revolves around Munna (Kishore Kumar) and Raja Babu (Pran) and their chemistry leading to incidents that are completely exceptional and hilarious to the core. The graveyard scene where Kishore Kumar is disguised as a dead body is simply outstanding.

4.) Andaz Apna Apna- Rajkumar Santoshi’s slapstick humour that will make audiences tumble from their chairs. The movie includes Aamir and Salman Khan trying to outwit each other and includes some of the most adorable dialogues such as “….aap to purush hi nahi, mahapurush hai” and “crime master gogo- aankhen nikaal kar gotiya khelta hun”. Moreover, Paresh Rawal in a double role is simply outstanding.

3.) Golmaal- This wacky comedy about multiple identities of made-up twins is uproaringly hilarious. Amol Palekar as “Ram Prasad” and “Laxman Prasad” will make you roll on floor. The scene where Utpal Dutt is about to reveal this secret says “…Paranthe kha lo betaaa..!!!”. The expressions on his face are something to watch out for.

2.) Padosan- Again, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood at their very best. Kishore Kumar with “paan” dripping from the side of his mouth and Mehmood as a South Indian music teacher with a clean-shaven head and a choti hanging are the super entertainers and steal the show in a movie which also stars Sunil Dutt and Saira Banu.

1.) Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron- Truly a timeless cult classic. It is undoubtedly the most remarkable political satire ever made in Bollywood. This is what we call a “Black Comedy”. The movie exhibits a superb sense of comic timing and wit in each and every frame. To unmask the face of corruption, Director Kundan Shah has used the humour quite brilliantly. Especially the last scene where all the actors appear on stage in different characters of Mahabharatha is absolutely brilliant. Also, a scene where drunken Om Puri (as Ahuja) comes across the dead body (Satish Shah) in a coffin and then tows it away is absolutely hilarious.  

Others that barely missed the list include:- 

Angoor- Gulzar’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Comedy of Errors”.

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi- A classic comedy including the three brothers Ashok, Anoop and Kishore Kumar.

Chachi 420- Kamal Haasan portraying double identities as Tabu’s husband and their housemaid Chachi.

Sadhu Aur Shaitaan- Another movie showing Mehmood’s antics.

Do Aur Do Paanch- Another great comedy where Amitabh and Shashi Kapoor try to outwit each other and are involved in some really funny situations.

Hungama- A great entertainer in a class of its own. Although, it’s a bit confusing but certainly a laugh riot.

I may have missed a few of them but this is how my list of Top Ten Bollywood Comedies goes… !!!!