The Funny Men

Is it the inscrutable poker face or the deadpan looks? Or is it the regular boy-next-door non six-pack abs guy everyone can relate to? Veteren comedian,writer and director Deven Bhojani cannot place his finger on one particular aspect that makes him,and actors like him,a hit on the small screen. But he knows one thing for sure: when it comes to the male audience,comedy rules. The fact that Jetha Lal’s character played by Dilip Joshi on Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma on Sab TV topped the list of characters India loves in the men’s segment in a research done by telly trend tracking company called Ormaxe is a proof. “Whether it is the character of Bhavesh in RK Laxman Ki Duniya,the house husband in Mrs Tendulkar,or the characters of Lapataganj,Sab is one channel where men rule the TRPs. So when we got a chance to make a comedy with three brothers,we knew we will have an audience,” says Bhojani,who returns to television as a co-producer with Vipul Amrutlal Shah with their new show,Bhai,Bhaiya Aur Brother.

To première on June 4 on Sab TV,this has some of the best actors from the world of comedy. From their appearance to mannerisms,lifestyles,habits and quirks,Bhojani etched out every character. “Honestly,making people laugh is the toughest business I know,and creating characters for a comedy show is a challenge,” says Bhojani,who has a dedicated team of writers only for comedy and takes inspiration from real life characters. While he refuses to divulge the inspiration for the characters of the brothers,the mother’s mannerisms in the show,he shares,have been borrowed from his own mother. “The only rule is entertainment,and somewhere,weave in a philosophy or message,” says Bhojani,known for hits like Sarabhia versus Sarabhai,Malgudi Days and Dekh

Bhai Dekh.

Being typecast is a risk actors face all the time. “That’s why in my head,

I am an actor,not a comic actor,” says Vrajesh Hirjee,who plays the youngest brother on the show. He will also be seen in films like Joker,Sanjay Misra’s Pranav Valeykum and Sneh Tuli’s Dekho Yeh Hai Mumbai Real Life. Sooraj Thapar bagged the part of Anil Chawla,the eldest of the three brothers. “I was never supposed to be part of the show,but Deven wanted a lazy,pot-bellied elder brother,and I fitted the role,” says the actor who chooses versatile roles,the last being an evil king in Chandragupta Maurya. Thapar didn’t want to let the chance of working with Bhojani and Shah slip,and quickly glued a moustache,ruffled his hair,tied a false belly and slipped on a bright kurta pyjama to look the part. “Getting into the character is the most essential part of a comedy,the look alone has to have the power to make people laugh,” says Thapar.

Like him,the other brothers too make their entry dramatically — Chirag Vora aka Rajeev Chawla plays a Mumbai-bred peace loving brother,more like Malcolm in the Middle,and London return suited-booted Sameer Chawla,the youngest brother,is played by Hirjee. All of them also have wives — Anil has a village belle,Rajeev has a city slick wife and Hirjee has a Parsi-British wife. But unlike the soapy dramas where women rule,it’s a male turf here,and Bhojani,Shah and the three brothers are loving it. “Women have troubled us for long. It’s time to get even,” they joke.