Comedy, you could say, has arrived in India. What was once considered the property of a poet or artist? That is now a full-time profession that is in great demand by young people in the country. The pandemic and its impact on concert culture may have stood in the way for a while. Still, in the long run, comedians seem destined to compete with Bollywood celebrities for popularity. For a younger audience, they may already be a bigger brand.
The only problem with the promising aim this Indian comedy:
Which is targeting is the fact that the same old faces keep popping up on our screens. Created by acclaimed comedians Gursimran Kamba and Amit Tandon. SonyLIV’s Chalo Koi Baat Nahi is a comedy show eager to reproduce the new value of Saturday Night Live. But perhaps better to recreate the spontaneity of its lineage.
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Chalo Koi Baat Nahi is a comedy show which for some reason. It is hosted by actors Ranvir Shore and Viney Patak. This adds some colour to the outline of the point. That even for the richer and experimental world of Indian comedy, all roads eventually lead to Bollywood. Patak and Shorey are not stars. But they are trustworthy and famous actors who have played comedic roles in the past.
Hosting a live audience, as is the case here, is a different story. Ducks are usually quiet and playful, whereas Shore is the livelier of the two. Together they do their best to direct individual enjoyment, but in the end, they dig under the light fabric. It’s not even about actors performing poorly at concerts or simple jokes, all boasting modern nostalgia. Most of the ideas in the series reflect the crowdsourced energy of the leaves, with little ingenuity or nuance.
The first episode is titled “The Train”. Patak and Shore give us anecdotal reasons why rail travel remains the most extensive sociocultural panorama in India. It’s a cliché premise, as a comedy by one of the creators (both comedians).
It might work as a piece, but it feels severe and exhausting with a few intertwined short stories.
In one sketch, a murderer is bullied to the point of powerlessness. By a nagging day worker and his family. In others, station broadcasters try to bring irony and comedy to platform announcements. Two other men met in middle age about their worries.
The second episode of “Hospital” improved from the previous episode in terms of premise. The plight of the doctors and India’s strained relationship with healthcare itself is an interesting issue to explore. DVD-era clone video footage in retro style.
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It sounds like an excellent idea for a doctor looking to learn self-defence. But while the aesthetic delivers, the speed and direction of the actual piece aren’t. The problem with pre-made sketches attached to live shows is the opposing energies of the two.
As soon as Patak and Shore caught the eye with their point of view. They drew someone to the sketch in a completely different tone. Switching between the two is annoying because one is raw and stable compared to the other. It doesn’t help that they are used to cut out actors’ songs that at first glance, have no context for what is shown at the end.
It is as if they brought two different ideas together in the name of one working format.
No one thinks of transitions, environments, and narrative mosaics. That feel alienated from ideas that, in isolation, might even have potential.
Like many AIB (All India Bakhchod) projects, this is a format that has been adopted. From its famous predecessor on an international level. There’s no one-size-fits-all in the comedy scene, and it’s a lesson you think those connected with India’s first actual comedy troupe have learned. But the pattern repeats itself with excellent results. As I watched, I wondered if Shorey and Patak would be better at sketching. As the film’s reserved and revisionist approach works to their established strengths.
Here they are really stuck somewhere in the middle. Neither comedy nor acting, but half their mouth is dragging the concept of cut and particle with the power of their charm and reputation. Like a joke from Prime Video LOL Hasse to Phase, this SonyLIV series has garnered talent, even some perfect ideas, but no resemblance in tone or tempo.