Ode to the funny man

The programme began with a tribute to Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin, comic personalities who have inspired generations of actors, through clips from their films. 8220;Humour has always been the weak, or should I say, strong point of the Maharashtrian psyche,8221; said Prabhavalkar as he went on to showcase 10 Marathi comedians who had kept the audience in splits, ranging from the 1930s with Damuanna Malvankar and Raja Gosavi to the more recent 1980s with Laxmikant Berde. Using his words skillfully to draw character sketches, Prabhavalkar struck an immediate rapport with his audience.

The merry journey into Marathi films started with Damuanna Malvankar, the original Chimanrao of the 1930s, whose trademark squint 8220;he seemed to have one eye on present troubles and one on future travails8221; only enhanced his flair for comedy. When Malvankar teamed up with another natural, Master Vinayak in a film scripted by the celebrated Acharya Atre, what followed was the laugh riot, Brahmachari. The scene of Master Vinayak being swayed from his chaste resolve by a swimsuit-wearing Meenakshi, had created ripples in middle-class Marathi consciousness when it was screened. It would be hilarious and embarrassing, Prabhavalkar quipped, when a father and son would accidentally meet in a theatre screening the film.

Prabhavalkar8217;s kaleidoscope covered a variety of comedians. The old school included the inimitable Raja Paranjape, the poker-faced Raja Gosavi, whose comic timing was impeccable, the irrepressible Sharad Talwalkar who excelled in his old-man roles and Vasant Shinde, known for his rustic characterisation.

Nuggets like how Raja Gosavi, then a ticket booking clerk in Bhanuvilas theatre, sold tickets of his own debut film in black and pocketed a cool Rs. 6,500, peppered the commentary.

The extremely popular Dada Kondke, the versatile Ashok Saraf and the latest funny man on the block, Laxmikant Berde, formed the latter half of the show.

While Prabhavalkar did an excellent job of conducting the proceedings with personal experiences of encounters with these comic greats, the prints of the films shown were not too clear and marred an otherwise good show.