Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Champions of comedy

The heroes of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge came, joked and conquered

ROAD TO FAME From left: Ahsaan Qureshi, Raju Srivastav and Sunil Pal spoke of their journey from the days when their acts were only fillers during star shows PHOTO: V. SREENIVASA MURTHY

Some things are lost in translation or when quoted out of context. Especially jokes. That's why I'm not even going to try to tell you how the badshahs of humour of Star One's superhit The Great Indian Laughter Challenge had us rolling with laughter at the Palace Grounds recently.

The trio — Sunil Pal, Raju Srivastav and Ahsaan Qureshi — walked in fashionably late for the press meet. But Ahsaan managed to melt the hearts of the impatiently waiting press with a delightful shairi he came up with on the spot. It may not have been worthy of an award, but recited in his signature singsong style, it sure made us smile.

Continuing in the same vein, Raju made a joke at the press waiting for them. "We've been in this field for the last 20-25 years and have always been sidelined. Even though we have donned varied character roles in Hindi films and serials, no one ever waited to actually talk to us!" said Raju, smiling apologetically. Even as he made it funny (wide-eyed and grinning from ear to ear), there was a hint of the trio's long, hard journey to fame in what he said.

But once they got on stage, there was no stopping the laughter. They came one after another on stage, conquered the audience with their intelligent (and sometimes downright silly) jokes, each in his own distinctive style.

Jokes and poetry

Ahsaan, with an M.A. in Urdu, switched between jokes and poetry with great élan. So if we were not laughing, then we were saying "Wah! Wahs!" Raju, on the other hand, decided to make the fashion industry and the Mumbai local trains the butt of his jokes. Sunil Pal imitated just about everyone — Naseer, Amol Palekar, Suniel Shetty, Adnaan Sami, Himesh Reshammiya... Pity I can't show in print the strange faces and noises made! So you just have to take my word for it when I say it was all very, very funny.

If anyone nursed doubts that their acts on television were rehearsed, the event was proof once and for all that they were truly original. It was amazing how they could bring humour into everything that was happening around them. They made digs not only at those who were leaving the show early, but also at the photographers and the enthusiastic fans who went really close to the stage with their mobile cameras. They did not spare even the organisers, Tata Indicom. Then it was Ektaa Kapoor's turn to be ripped apart. When the trio spotted a Sardar sitting in the third row, they christened him "Siddu Saab" and made him the butt of many jokes. They did not spare the original Siddu, the judge of the show, who laughs for just about every joke. "In fact, every time, all of us go backstage and do research as to why he laughs so much for no reason."

Amidst all the laughter there were also a few revelations about their struggle to the top. "There was a time when we were called on stage to fill up the gap in live shows by the stars. We were told not to speak for more than two minutes. And today it's half past 10, and look, you are all still with us! This makes us feel really good," said Raju.

Lever the pioneer

"Johny Lever is the man responsible for making stand up comedy shows so popular," said Sunil.

Ahsaan added: "Today various dance groups have been invited to perform in between to help us take short breaks. It sure is a role reversal of sorts."

The audience sure could have done without the ghastly dance numbers. But then we were so busy laughing and feeling touched by the trio's long and hard journey to fame, we didn't really mind them.

SHILPA SEBASTIAN R.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail