Does it feel like
we’ve been seeing more spoofs than ever before? That’s because we probably have.
It might be a sign of the times – with everything from onion prices to
diplomatic secrets to the number of zeros in scam valuations (quick, how many
zeros in one lakh crores?) spiralling out of control, there’s been plenty of
fodder for satirists. And with traditional media lower than ever on
credibility, it’s over to the funny folks to tell it like it is and bring some
perspective to the proceedings.
2010 was a breakout
year for satire in Hindi films, with Tere Bin Laden, Peepli [Live] and Phas
Gaye Re Obama making an impact. Tere Bin Laden was a light hearted farce about a
poor chicken farmer with an unfortunate resemblance to Osama Bin Laden. While
the film had no explicit agenda to comment on global terrorism and associated
politics, it ended up highlighting the farcical nature of the ‘war on terror’ anyway.
Nothing about Osama Bin Laden is funny, but perhaps laughter at the thought of
him (think ‘Osama does Numa Numa’ on YouTube) is a better response than
helpless outrage or fear. Same goes for Hitler and the hilarious ‘Hitler reacts
to…’ videos on YouTube, based on a clip from the 2004 German film ‘Downfall’. These
spoofs of larger-than-life villains humanize their subjects, dulling their
power and hold over the public psyche.
Politicians have
traditionally provided rich material for caricature. In recent times, our
mainstream media folks have kept them company in the ranks of the ridiculous. Anusha
Rizvi’s Peepli [Live], a black comedy about farmer suicides in India, lampooned
both our politicians and shrill newshounds. Their seemingly farcical excesses –
the search for a suitable ‘yojana’ for an as yet un-dead farmer, the ‘sansani
khez’ sensationalism, the mad eagerness for ‘breaking news’, the stunning lack
of perspective despite being in the thick of things - were actually all within
the realm of what plays out on our television sets every day. In effect, Peepli
[Live] felt like a spoof of a spoof – as fun to watch as that was, it rang too
true for comfort.
Not all spoofs have
a serious undercurrent, of course. Most are made for the sheer fun of it. Bollywood’s
favourite spoofs are self-parodies of the kind that Farah Khan has perfected.
Or had perfected, given the huge slip-up in form that was ‘Tees Maar Khan’. Still,
her ‘Main Hoon Na’ remains a pitch perfect homage-spoof of 70’s Bollywood.
Rajendra Prasad’s ‘Quick Gun Murugun’, was a less perfect homage to the Sambar
Westerns of Madras. And what can one say about that cult classic ‘Andaz Apna
Apna’? It spoofed everything from Anil Kapoor’s ‘jhakaas’ to Ajit’s vintage
villainy. By the time Shakti Kapoor made his appearance as ‘Crime Master Gogo’,
there might have been a few deaths by laughter.
Tollywood does a
lot of mini self-spoofs in its comedy tracks. Remember how Brahmanandam’s ‘Khan
Dada’ from ‘Money’ brought the house down way back? More recently, Rayalaseema
factionists were mercilessly parodied in ‘Ready’ to hilarious effect. Which kid
would want to grow up to be a factionist after watching that? And therein lies the power of satire. What can’t be hammered
home with years of schooling or preaching, sometimes can be nudged home with
ridicule.
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wrote this for channel6, hyderabad.
