Comedy movies provide the best form of entertainment. Comedy is a genre where everyday situations as well as commentary on social situations and issues are depicted in a light-hearted way so that viewers can relate to it, reflect on the issues and enjoy the experience. Laughter is a great way to unwind and relax after a stressful workday or week because laughter release happy hormones like endorphins and dopamine in the body and reduce feelings of sadness or anxiety. Comedy movies also provide a great form of escape for people who are facing challenging times. It provides a temporary relief from overthinking.
Bollywood has produced some really humorous films ranging from slapstick comedies, satire, romantic comedies and situational comedies. Here is a list of some classic and clean Bollywood comedies that always make us laugh our hearts out and can be enjoyed with family:
HERA PHERI (2000)
Hera Pheri is a heist comedy movie directed by Priyadarshan starring Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Tabu. The plot revolves around two tenants Raju (Kumar) and Shyam (Shetty) and their landlord Baburao (Rawal), who are in dire financial conditions and desperately need money. They chance upon a ransom call through a cross-connection and plan a heist to claim the ransom money for themselves. The film is a remake of a Malayalam film “Ramji Rao Speaking” which itself was inspired by the 1971 American Tv movie, “See the Man Run”.
The movie achieved moderate success at the box office and the lead trio was appreciated for their comic timing, their bonding with each other and the quirky characters they portrayed. The characters of Raju, Baburao and Shyam left a lasting impression on the audience and their dialogues were hilarious which are till date used as memes. The film become iconic for its unique blend of situational humor and relatable themes of financial struggles of middle class and the lengths people can go to improve their condition. The movie has become a cult classic over the years and is often revisited and discussed amongst fans. The film generated a sequel “Phir Hera Pheri” in 2006, which was also quite successful.
PADOSAN (1968)
Padosan is a 1968 musical comedy film directed by Jyoti Swaroop starring Sunil Dutt, Kishore Kumar, Mehmood and Saira Banu. It is a remake of the Bengali film, “Pasher Bari”, based on a short story of the same name by Arun Chowdhury. The plot revolves around a simple village man who falls in love with his new neighbor and enlists the help of his musical theatre friends to woo the lovely girl next door from her music teacher. Padosan is widely considered a classic musical comedy because of its iconic music produced by R.D Burman and the outstanding performances of the cast. The songs of this movie are so memorable that they are still popular even after almost 55 years of the movie’s release.
Mehmood’s character of Pillai, a Tamil music teacher and Kishore Kumar’s character Vidyapati become iconic and are still memorable. Pillai’s heavy accent and Vidyapati’s flamboyant personality and both of their hilarious interactions, comical situations in the film and melodious songs make this movie the perfect blend of delightful music and humor. The reason why Padosan is still popular even after almost 55 years of its release because it captures the essence of a simpler, community oriented life in old India and embodies the golden age of Bollywood.
ANDAZ APNA APNA(1994)
Andaz Apna Apna, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and starring Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon , Paresh Rawal and Shakti Kapoor, is a film that focuses on two men Amar(Aamir Khan) and Prem(Salman Khan) who are slackers and want to woo a beautiful heiress to have access to her father’s enormous wealth. They soon realize that the real heiress has exchanged her identity with her secretary. The film is packed with witty dialogues, chaotic and absurd situations, mistaken identities and physical humor that make the film engaging and hilarious. The characters were quirky, loveable and memorable especially the villians Teja played by Rawal and crime master Gogo played by Shakti Kapoor with over top hilarious antics. The movie poked fun at Bollywood clichés playfully making it even more enjoyable. While the movie had flopped during its release, it gained a fan base over time through repeated viewings and now is considered a cult classic.
CHUPKE CHUPKE (1975)
Chupke Chupke is a classic comedy film starring Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and Sharmila Tagore directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. It is remake of the Bengali film, “Chhadmabeshi”. The plot of the movie revolves around a newly wedded husband playing a practical joke on his wife’s family with full support from his wife and friends. The movie is a comedy of errors and embodies a gentler time of Hindi cinema when humor wasn’t mindless and vulgar or crass. Dharmendra’s comic timing is the star factor of the movie and his pranks on his brother in law provides ample entertainment to the audience making it a delightful and sweet watch.
GOL MAAL (1979)
Gol Maal is a comedy movie directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee strarring Amol Palekar, Utpal Dutt and Bindiya Goswami. Ramprasad (Palekar) works for Bhavani(Dutt) who discourages his employees from pursuing any hobbies outside work. Things take a hilarious turn when Bhavani catches Ramprasad at a hockey match and he lies about having a twin. Gol Maal, because of its chaotic and hilarious premise, became extremely popular and is revisited again and again by fans till date. The phenomenal acting by Amol Palekar playing a dual role with distinct personalities, comedic timing of the cast and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s fantastic direction makes it a clean subtle comedy that can be enjoyed with family. The dialogues and scenes of the film are often imitated and are still popular.
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