The Wise Fool
The wise fool has been a commonly used trope in literary and other artistic traditions from antiquity onwards. Serving as gentle or searing voices of truth and conscience in an absurd world, the figure appeared as clowns, buffoons, mashkaras and vidushaks among countless avatars. One of the most recognised embodiments of the wise fool was that of the tramp. Popularised by silent film comedians including Max Linder, André Deed and Charlie Chaplin, the tramp figure was embraced enthusiastically by Indian cinema. In films like Shree 420 (1955) and Jis Desh Main Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Raj Kapoor added elements of social justice and political optimism to the eccentric tenderness and slapstick represented by the tramp figure.
In the film, the "comedy wizard" Bhagwan plays Buddhu (Fool). On facing relentless ridicule, he leaves for a successful life in the city. As in most tramp comedies, the film ends with his wisdom and kindness recognised and celebrated.
One of the terms we frequently encounter in cinema made in the Indian subcontinent to refer to the vagabond and carefree is Mastana. A city tramp Mastana (Motilal), magician (Mukri) and the Phuggewala or Balloonman (Sunder) dressed as a fantastical clown make the main cast of this film. Relegated to the margins of city life, they form the conscience of the civic society they are part of.
Kishore Kumar’s role of a clownish wanderer with unmatched energy in the film is further amplified through this caricaturish still featuring a donkey, an animal that has always occupied a special place in circus imagery.
Photographic lobby still for the film 'Krorepati' by UnknownMuseum of Art & Photography
Tricksters Extraordinaire
Through imposters, doppelgangers, con-men and other figures of masquerade, the element of play was utilised in a myriad of ways in genres ranging from the comedy of errors to the heist film.
Two tropes beloved of the comedy were used here -- the doppelganger and the "mad man" -- as Kishore Kumar, a stuntman with a flambouyant sense of wit, is hired to impersonate the heir to a big fortune.
The confusion between a real and fake diamond necklace drives this play-filled plot where two actor friends Asha (Madhubala) and Bela (Chanchal) embark on a circuitous journey that involves heirs in disguise, masquerade balls, con men and a wild-witted itinerant (Kishore Kumar).
In this comic interlude from the melodrama, the stellar singer-comedian Uma Devi, known by her stage name Tun Tun, plays Whiskey Rani who is in search of her missing husband. Her husband (Sunder), meanwhile, is in plain sight disguised as a fraud godman.
Photographic lobby still for the film 'Mulzim' by Bhatia's Photo Studio, Cine Publicity Specialist, Main Road, Dadar, BombayMuseum of Art & Photography
In the mystery, the comedian Johnny Walker is disguised as a Bajewala Baba, a walking musical band. His body is a home to horns, bells, a drum, an ektara, a mandolin, a tambourine and a morsing.
Romance and Play
Through moments of witty, screwball repartee, coy banter, airy flirtations, mistaken identities and gestures of free abandon, play found delightful expression in romance.
In this rare lobby card from Chal Chal Re Naujawan, a playful moment moment between two youthful lovers played by Ashok Kumar and Naseem Bano lends an optimistic lightness to the tragic story.
An aural masquerade forms the pivot of a game of courtship between Bhola (Sunil Dutt) who pretends to be a prodigious singer and his music-loving neighbour (Saira Banu). At the window, he lip syncs to songs sung by the prodigious Vidyapati (Kishore Kumar). The paan-chewing eccentric is joined by his band of merry men - Banarasi (Mukri), Kolkatiya (Keshto Mukherjee) and Lahoriya (Raj Kishore). One of the most remembered scenes of the film was the musical jugalbandi, a stellar display of comic timing, mimicry and physical theatre, between Vidyapati and the caricaturish Carnatic musician Mr Pillai played by Mehmood.
At a busy nightclub, Helen and Agha gleefully shake and twist to the rock n' roll tune Main Hoon Rosie switching between ballroom wear and koli attire.
The Child
The child's sense of play has been valued dearly by artists, musicians, philosophers and filmmakers alike. For most the child embodied archetypal values such as those of joy, disobedience, honesty, innocence and precociousness.
The film begins on a hot afternoon day with unruly school children irreverently reciting tables while the schoolmaster has fallen asleep. Devdas has played truant from school; he hides on top of a tree and smokes tobacco. Young Paro faces his delinquent wrath.
In this social drama, the comic and satiric relief is brought by Rakesh and Dinesh, two harmonica-playing and prank-pulling precocious children.
Photographic lobby still for the film 'Ab Dilli Dur Nahin' by UnknownMuseum of Art & Photography
The Ramlila is staged by a band of street children. Added to the precocious talent, mischief and laughter is a hint of world- weariness.
Photographic lobby still/card (?) for the film 'Deep Jalta Rahe' by Possibly M.K. GupteMuseum of Art & Photography
Surrounded by totems of play, the child persuades reluctant adults, his foster father (Abhi Bhattacharya) and nanny (Ram Avtar), to temporarily enter a world of fantasy.
In this selection of photographs, posters and lobby cards from the collection of the Museum of Art and Photography, we explore impressions of comedy and play in Indian cinema. As in most art and philosophy, comedy and play are not expressed as the opposite of seriousness here. Through tableaux of freewheeling play and comedic moments, we explore how cinema extrapolated pre-cinematic entertainment forms and enriched archetypal figures such as the wise fool and the precocious child and comedy tropes such as masquerade and mistaken identities. Some of the publicity material selected here, especially those of untraceable films, also pay homage to several important actors of comedy who elevated the short comic interlude in Indian cinema with skilled and eccentric displays of wit, slapstick and mimicry.
Curation & Text : Iyesha Geeth Abbas
References:
Publicity Booklets, National Film Archive of India.
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