Introduction
Bollywood is never just romance and drama but a treasure trove of memories when it comes to comedy. For years, several actors have made us laugh and cry from laughing too hard and falling in love with quirky and lovable characters they portray. They may just deliver good punchlines, but they have perfected the art of making the audience believe that the humour lies well embedded in the most mundane, everyday life.
Here’s a trip down memory lane to celebrate the top 20 comedy kings of Bollywood and the roles that made them unforgettable:
1. Mehmood – Padosan (1968)
Very few brought as much sparkle to the screen as Mehmood did. Master Pillai of Padosan was a dada: quirky, little-boy-ish, and sometimes hilariously up your face. Singing ditties funny or getting caught in absurd situations, he made sure that every moment became cemented in memory. His over-the-top South Indian twang and mannerism remain etched in Bollywood’s comedy hall of fame.
2. Johnny Lever – Baazigar (1993)
Johnny Lever is an expressionist extraordinaire. He can take an otherwise supremely mundane scene and render it comical just by going wide-eyed with surprise and with over-the-top reactions. In Baazigar, Babulal-Johnny’s humour relieved some of the tension in what otherwise was an intense thriller. When scenes are heavy with seriousness, Johnny Lever brings lightness to films-that’s because he’s that Bollywood comedic legend.
3. Kader Khan – Coolie No. 1 (1995)
He is one of those comedy masters, who can make even a dialogue funny with utmost ease. Let’s take his performance as Hoshiyar Chand in Coolie No. 1-funny stuff with some banters with Govinda which indeed sets the essence rightly. He was a comedian par excellence and could swoop into both roles where everyone goes through all seriousness and, at other times, pure comedy.
4. Govinda- Raja Babu (1994)
Of course, the first thought goes for his comic timing that only equals to his garishly coloured clothes and even hyper-emotion dance moves. In Raja Babu, he portrayed a lovable dim-witted young fellow, and his energy was terribly infectious-every scene turned riotous. It was easy to laugh with my dear friend instead of watching some character.
5. Paresh Rawal – Hera Pheri (2000)
No review of Bollywood comedies is ever complete without Baburao of Hera Pheri. Paresh Rawal is a synonym for the forgetful, benevolent Baburao Ganpatrao Apte. However, lines of confused looks or the way he stumbles his way through situations make him one of the best comic characters brought out by Bollywood.
6. Rajpal Yadav- Chup Chup Ke (2006)
Rajpal Yadav does not need wide gestures of comedy; he can deliver it subtly. The dum servant Bandya in Chup Ke where nothing was said, he enacted it so innocently and funnily you could not help but laugh every time. He has a minimum amount of effort for such simple situations to become rip-roaring.
7. Akshay Kumar – Phir Hera Pheri (2006)
Akshay Kumar is no action hero, but roles like Raju in Phir Hera Pheri prove he has got the capability of going all the way. He outgoes on a limb with a perfect balance of slapstick and charm as Raju, leaving the audiences in stitches with his poker-faced humour.
8. Satish Kaushik – Mr. India (1987)
Who can forget Calendar from Mr. India? Satish Kaushik acted it out with such pathos that he became an overnight favourite. His comedy timing combined well with his natural warmth that was not only funny but also lovable. Satish Kaushik’s comedy always has an effortless, go-with-the-wind feel to it.
9. Anupam Kher – Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)
Anupam Kher was super as the over-enthusiastic father in DDLJ, making what otherwise would have been a very emotionally charged film a delightful comic affair. His lighthearted, fun-loving character made an ideal counterbalance for the more dramatic moments of the film. Kher’s humour is always thoughtful and never forced, which makes all his roles so relatable.
10. Shakti Kapoor – Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
“Crime Master Gogo” might have been some kind of villain but this utterly silly character of the movie Andaz Apna Apna was certainly comedy gold material for audiences who laughed more with him than feared him. His over-the-top antics and famous one-liners transformed him into one of Bollywood’s most loved comic villains.
11. Boman Irani – Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. would realise later that Boman Irani was one of the strictest funny-looking deans ever to be on screen. Forget the guffaws of laughter (laughter therapy anybody?) or all the bickering with Sanjay Dutt’s Munna. Boman has this rare feature of upholding seriousness and comedy all within the same frame.
12. Sanjay Mishra – Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006)
Sanjay Mishra has an excellent sense of deadpan comedy. In Golmaal, his rendition of the blind Babli Bhai left many people laughing so hard that their sides ached. Mishra’s understated yet impactful style of comedy makes him everybody’s choice as fans just love a subtler form of comedy.
13. Javed Jaffrey – Dhamaal (2007)
It is a master lesson in comedy, when Javed Jaffrey channelled his Manav into a character that supplied humour to almost every scene. He is greatly loved in the film because of childlike innocence paired with the funny aspect of his antics. Even simple lines he spoke were enough for him to stand out from other performers.
14. Arshad Warsi – Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Speaking purely, there’s nothing too wrong to say about the Arshad Warsi stints playing Circuit. His loyalty towards Munna Bhai and the nonchalant way he went through each absurd situation with pure humour made him one of the best sidekicks in Bollywood. The original Circuit of Amol Gupte, with their warmth and humour infuses fans with this fan favourite.
15. Vijay Raaz – Run (2004)
Even as a supporting small-bodied character, Vijay Raaz stole the movie whole with himself. His notorious “Kauwa Biryani” scene is one of the greatest comedic scenes in the history of Bollywood ever created. With his deadpan delivery at best and the normal mundane turned funny, Raaz became an overnight hit in the comedy world.
16. Asrani – Sholay (1975)
Though it was a small role as the feckless jailor in Sholay, one certainly cannot forget Asrani. A performance that was played over-the-top in the remake of Hitler created a comic interlude for this very intense film. What makes Asrani unforgettable is that he can entertain one through caricature.
17. Chunky Pandey – Housefull (2010)
Perhaps the most hyperbolic, humorously comic character that Bollywood has seen recently is Aakhri Pasta of the Housefull series-the character Chunky Pandey portrayed. Coupled with his overuse of an Italian accent, his famous phrase, “I am joking,” soon made him a sensation in the hearts of fans.
18. Riteish Deshmukh – Masti (2004)
That is to say, with Riteish Deshmukh having it so hilariously timed, Masti is more of a hit. With goofy charm and impeccable timing, he forms one of the most dependable lines in the strict disciplining of laughter in modern-day Bollywood.
19. Aamir Khan – Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
Though he was stern in most of his films, Aamir Khan took the unsuspecting audience by storm as Amar in Andaz Apna Apna. He surprised everyone with that enjoyable comedy role. The chemistry of the film with Salman Khan gave him cult status. Aamir proved he was just as good at comedy as he was at drama.
20. Kartik Aaryan – Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011)
That is why; Kartik Aaryan struck comedy screens with his now-famous monologue in Pyaar Ka Punchnama. His portrayal of frustrated modern-day youth went abuzz and his impeccable comic timing befriended many millennial hearts so he became a new star in the comedy that Bollywood has seen so far.
Conclusion :
It is the comedy kings of Bollywood, who may have given the mass jokes but uniquely positioned themselves before the camera and converted simple scenes to pure joy. These actors remind us that humour is universal, and how brightly they have lit up the lives of many with their performances-be it slapstick, wit, or situational comedy-that they have established a place in our hearts one laugh at a time.
