[tps_footer]Comedy is something of a difficult genre to attempt, and an ever tougher genre to pull off convincingly. It is said that it is easier to make someone cry, than to make someone laugh. Not everyone is gifted with a perfect sense of comic timing. Getting the facial expression, the inflection, the tone and the body language right is one of the hardest things, as most actors would readily tell you.
In 2013, comedy was a genre that was given enough importance. Mainstream actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Saif Ali Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Vidya Balan and many others jumped on the funny bandwagon, and needless to say, did exceedingly well. This year, they gave us many funnies, and audiences will surely cherish all their endeavours.
Deepika Padukone’s Bakwaas baat in Chennai Express: Though superstar Shah Rukh Khan headlined this film, Deepika Padukone was its heart and soul. Deepika’s hilarious Tam-Brahm accent had the audience in splits, and kept people returning to the theatres for more. Shah Rukh ably assisted Deepika, and the two were certainly the funniest A-listers, attempting comedy, and succeeding with it this year. Deepika’s sarcastic one-liners were praiseworthy, and full props to the writers and director Rohit Shetty for bringing out this uninhibited, comic side of the usually prim-and-proper Deepika.
Saif Ali Khan’s Russian Take in Go Goa Gone: Here’s another A-lister, who came out with flying colours in a comic role. Saif Ali Khan as the faux Russian drug lord Boris, was equal parts funny, and equal parts freaky. This zomcom (zombie comedy) featuring Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Anand Tiwari and Pooja Gupta, was funny enough, but Saif added just the right dose of humour to the proceedings.
Local Goonda Ranbir Kapoor in Besharam: Hip and urbane Ranbir Kapoor attempted to play a local goon, an orphaned petty thief in this rib-tickling, slapstick comedy. Assisting him in the bungling were his real-life parents, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, and the threesome managed to extract quite a few laughs. Ranbir was still charming, albeit a bit too garrulous and over-the-top, as Babli. Nevertheless, his comic timing was spot-on, case in point the now infamous “Dabangg” dialogue from the film.
Ram Kapoor–Saqib Saleem’s cat-and-mouse chase in Mere Dad ki Maruti: An unconventional casting, with TV’s blue-eyed boy Ram Kapoor playing father to a twenty-something Saqib Saleem. Ram was fantastic as the exceedingly irritable and angry Punjabi father, while Saqib was hilarious playing his cowardly, forgetful son. Much chaos and fun ensued in this film about a missing car, and both did a splendid job making us laugh.
Ayushmann Khurrana–Kunaal Roy Kapur bumble through Nautanki Saala: The classic Tom-and-Jerry like pairing of Ayushmann Khurrana and Kunaal Roy Kapur was a classic hit in Nautanki Saala. An official remake of French film Apres Vous, Nautanki Saala was a crisp and clever comedy, quite sophisticated, which saw Ayushmann playing saviour to Kunaal’s character time and time again. The duo displayed envious comic timing and crackling chemistry in this ‘bromance’ of sorts. Ayushmann, of course, comes highly recommended after Vicky Donor of last year, while Kunaal has behind him the legacy of Delhi Belly. Seriously funny, these two were.
Vidya Balan–Emraan Hashmi’s forgetful tales in Ghanchakkar: This was another cleverly crafted comedy, more situational than slapstick. A rarity in Bollywood these days is an intelligent comedy, and Ghanchakkar filled the void to a great extent, this year. Rajkumar Gupta’s whodunit was smart, sharp, clever and funny. Vidya Balan was outstanding as the loud, brash, over-the-top nag of a Punjabi housewife to Emraan’s forgetful character. And who can forget Vidya’s bedroom look, replete with a feather boa and bright lip paint. Quite a funny visual, as it is!
Shahid Kapoor, the mistaken cop-actor in Phata Poster Nikla Hero: Shahid’s humour in films so far had been tongue-in-cheek, more sarcastic than slapstick. But with Phata Poster Nikla Hero, he turned his own funnyman image on its head. Shahid did a great job as an actor who gets mistaken for a policeman, in this very physical Rajkumar Santoshi comedy.
Akshay Kumar was boss, in Boss: The boss of action and comedy, Akshay Kumar once again proved that he is perhaps one of the few multi-faceted actors in Bollywood today. He is just as comfortable doing kick-ass action and breathtaking stunts, as he is tickling our funny bone. In Boss, Akshay combined the two to serve up his signature brand of action-humour, which was fabulous as always. Akshay’s impeccable comic timing, his hilarious one-liners, and witty repartees were spot on. Though the film fared averagely, Akshay reclaimed his Comedy King title once again.[/tps_footer]
