Poking Politics

Having a sense of humor is one thing, but being satirical requires a higher level of existence. Good satire emerges from within the society but is produced only those who can rise above the situation and see it externally for what it is. A branch of humor that has caused many a revolution in history, satire, be it social or political can never be ignored. In India, political satire as an expression has been present in literature for a long time; however, the new media that emerged in the twentieth century have failed to explore that genre. 

The primary reason behind this lack of satire content, on radio or television or in films, is the normative shackles that bind our media which was largely controlled by the Government. Add to that a lack of self awareness and a will to express the social angst in this format. When we specifically look at cinema, recognized political or social satire films are few and far between.

Our illustrious history in the field which completes 100 years next year has seen fewer than ten films of that genre. Although there have been films that have made a comment on society, the main ingredient of satire – humor, has been missing. The National Film Archives of India has classified merely four films in this genre, three of which were made in the past decade. Starting with Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), the list has Peepli Live, Tere Bin Laden and Phas Gaye Re Obama. In addition to that, the only few names that come to one’s mind are Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India, The President is Coming and a few others. The number is too small for the time the medium has been with us.

Of all the films mentioned above, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro gives the most representative sample of what a satirical film should be. Kundan Shah’s maiden project, which is still considered by many as his best work, when it was made, was way ahead of its time in terms of the content that was handled. It is story of two friends who, in an attempt to become successful, get tangled in a web of deceit, corruption and murder and its treatment is what makes it special. Perhaps made with the best ensemble cast ever, that included the likes of Nasseruddin Shah, Ravi Vaswani, Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, Satish Shah, Bhakti Barve and others; all of whom are renowned artistes today.

On its face, the film is a comedy. From start to finish, the events and scenarios that take place showcase the journey of the protagonists that are trapped deeper and deeper into the abyss of corruption, with an insane humor element. Certain scenes that have become legendary over time are the finale on the stage where all the characters act out a scene from the Mahabharat and also the sequence where Commissioner D’Mello’s dead body is set rolling on the streets of the city in his coffin. 

What makes us see the film as satire is the last scene. Where, failing to convince the police of their findings, Sudhir and Vinod (Ravi Vaswani and Naseeruddin Shah) are put behind bars with Hum honge kamyaab playing in the background. It suddenly renders a perspective through which one begins to look at the film differently in retrospective. Another major element which makes Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro different is that it was funded by the NFDC. A government body funding a film on political satire is pretty noteworthy. NFDC also funded Dibakar Banerji’s latest film Shanghai which was also a work of deep socio-political satire laced with dark humor.

When re-released in theatres on November 2, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro was nearly three decades old but was welcome by the critics and audience alike with equal enthusiasm. Not because it is a classic, which it no doubt is, but because the content and the humor are relevant even today. That is the magic of good satire – it ages like wine, only getting better. Except for a few logistical details which change over a period of time, the film is fresh and appears contemporary and valid even in today’s setting. Our country is at a vital stage in terms of political and social upheavals and filmmakers and social commentators should make hay. Corruption, inflation, terrorism – problems are in abundance. Satire is just a tool to have a good laugh while suffering. Hum honge kamyaab ek din.