Funnybone of Contention

“It is the Pakistani comics who started the trend of ribald humour and once they were allowed,there was no stopping anyone,” says Ahsaan Qureshi,the standup comedian with a sing-song drawl,in Lucknow on Wednesday. Qureshi is one of five comics roped in by Set Max to fizz up their extraa shots section that gives lesser known trivia about the film being shown.

“At times you have to bow to the market demand,but I regret if ever I have hit below the belt,hurting anyone’s sensitivity or sensibility,” said Qureshi,before presenting to a select audience his jokes and poems at Paryatan Bhawan. In keeping with the time of the year,he stoked the nationalist sentiment and kept propping laughter as the ultimate bond among countrymen.

“It isn’t exactly the prerogative of a TV channel not to serve whatever is the toast of the season. But if our group has abstained from cheapness,it is a brave risk we have taken,” says Gaurav Seth,Vice President Marketing and Communications,Max. Beginning August 16 through August 26,the channel would show a selection of comedy films like Partner and Singh is King on weekdays at 8 PM and in between there will be potshots at the films by Qureshi,VIP,Srikant Maski and Shailesh Lodha,

“The scope for television programming has increased manifold but the more some things change,the more they remain the same,” says Seth. “It is amply evident that viewers are sick of the same old horseplay,with celebrity judges guffawing at every gag like jackasses,but till the time some new recipe is invented,kindly bear…and smile!”