Bhubaneswar: In the hustle-bustle of daily life, we often forget the miracle pill for our anxieties and depressions which after takes a toll on our mental health. Want to escape the stress? Well, then laugh.
According to a report in Psychiatric Times, laughing during a humorous film elevates the pain threshold and can help break the cycle between pain, sleep loss, depression, and immunosuppression.
Share a laugh with your family, friends or colleagues or even your helpers. Humour lightens your burdens and as they says nothing works faster to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. If you are not a social birdie and prefer staying home, then catch up on some movies to brighten your day.
On World Laughter Day, celebrated on the first Sunday of May, we bring you a list of iconic comedy movies to celebrate World Laughter Day and keep your humour high.
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958)
There’s a no-woman rules in this household of three unmarried brothers. (Kishore Kumar, Ashok Kumar and Anoop Kumar). Things take several turns once the younger lads fall in love. Directed by Kishore Kumar, this is a gem of mad cap comedy, where Kishore Kumar and Madhubala turned up the romantic interludes with some high tempo comedy.
Padosan (1968)
This Jyoti Swaroop directorial is definitely a top contender in the best comedy films of all time. A simple guy (Sunil Dutt) falls in love with his lovely neighbour (Saira Banu) and takes help from his pals to impress the girl who is getting closer to her musical teacher (Mehmood). Fun and music hit the right chords. The singing bouts between Sunil Dutt’s and Mehmood’s characters are legendary. Kishore Kumar is the soul of this comedy.
Chupke Chupke (1975)
This one is fondly remembered for Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan’s comic chemistry which came right after the iconic Sholay. The film is a fun tale of a husband playing a rather practical prank on his wife’s brother-in-law. One of the best offerings from the undisputed king of situational comedy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, the film also starred Sharmila Tagore, Jaya Bachchan, Om Prakash and Asrani.
Gol Maal (1979)
Raved by critics and audiences alike, Gol Mal is considered as one of the best comedy films ever made in Bollywood. A job hunt, fake moustache and hockey match add to the funny confusion that form the plot. Utpal Dutt’s cacophonous laughter and shrieks are still a legend. The film also starred Amol Palekar, Bindiya Goswami, Deven Verma, Shubha Khote, Buaji Kalindi, Manju Singh, Ratna Sharma and Dina Pathak.
Angoor (1982)
Angoor was one of the best comedy films of the 80s era based on Shakespeare’s ‘A Comedy of Errors’ where two pairs of alike twins are parted at birth and their lives go for a crazy ride once they meet in later life. It was directed by legendary Gulzar Saab. It starred Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma in the dual role. Deven Varma won the best comedian award in the 30th Filmfare Awards.
Khubsoorat (1980)
Directed by the legendary Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Rekha, Rakesh Roshan, Ashok Kumar and Dina Pathak are featured in the lead roles. The plot revolves around a strict household that changes once a feisty girl comes to stay there for a couple of days and stirs up a storm. The film is one of the best rom-coms ever made and is remembered for Rekha’s comic genius.
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)
This Kundan Shah directorial is a dark satire on Indian politics and corruption. The film is about two friends fending off gangsters, mafia and politicians. The characters are insanely hilarious, with Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani raising the laughs as they escort the corpse (played by Satish Shah) in a series of fit inducing gags. The climax featuring a corny stage recreation of Mahabharata is possibly the most funny scene in Hindi film history. Besides Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani, the film also stars Bhakti Barve, Satish Shah, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapur, Satish Kaushik and Neena Gupta.
Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
In this Rajkumar Santoshi directorial, two loafers (Aamir Khan and Salman Khan) compete to win the heart of an heiress and in turn end up protecting her from crimes. While the film fared averagely when it hit the screens, it currently holds the reputation of being a cult classic. The dialogues of this movie has been quoted, re-quoted and inducted into modern conversation and culture. That’s the greatness of this quirky comedy that also featured Raveena Tandon, Karisma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal and Shakti Kapoor.
Chachi 420 (1997)
Directed by Kamal Haasan, this is one wicked ride where a father-in-law (Amrish Puri) falls in love with his son-in-law disguised as a lady. It may have been heavily inspired by Robin Williams’ Mrs Doubfire, but Kamal Hassan brought his best to this extremely loveable comedy. The movie also starred Tabu, Om Puri and Paresh Rawal in other pivotal roles.
Hera Pheri (2000)
Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Sunil Shetty, Tabu, Om Puri, Gulshan Grover, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Mukesh Khanna star in this cult classic directed by Priyadarshan. It’s the Hindi remake of the 1989 Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, and revolves around a troublesome trio and how they get involved in a dangerous case of kidnapping.
Munna Bhai movies
Munna Bhai will go down as one of the most iconic characters of modern times. While the first instalment of this hit series (Munna Bhai MBBS) revolved around an underworld don (Sanjay Dutt) and his sidekick named Short Circuit (Arshad Warsi) taking a medical college by storm, the second instalment (Lageraho Munna Bhai) was all about Gandhigiri and its relevance to modern society. Hard-core fans are still waiting with bated breath for the third instalment of the franchise helmed by Rajkumar Hirani.
3 Idiots (2009)
Inspired by Chetan Bhagat’s Five Point Someone, 3 Idiots was the highest grossing film of its time and a rage in China too. Two friends (R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi) are on the lookout for the third ‘idiot’ (Aamir Khan) who was the different one and has been missing in action since the last day of college. This Rajkumar Hirani directorial is a roller-coaster ride to say the least. Watch out for the insane monologue featuring Omi Vaidya delivering a speech in Hindi.
Vicky Donor (2012)
Starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Yami Gautam and Annu Kapoor, this film features a quirky but relevant concept of sperm donation. A fertility expert is on the lookout for a fit and fine sperm donor. He crosses paths with Vicky and convinces him to become one. All’s well, until Vicky gets married and his secret is revealed. Plus, his wife can’t conceive. Consider this as one of the best comedy yet coming of age films made in recent times.
