2 weeks ago
Indian cultural figures share favourite political satire works
Some famous Indian artists, writers and a politician were asked about their favourite jokes about important people.
They love jokes that make fun of powerful leaders and governments.
One filmmaker picked a funny old Indian movie called Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro.
A politician liked a British TV show called Yes Minister, which made fun of how government offices work.
He also remembered a funny moment in India's parliament when a bald leader made a clever joke.
One professor liked funny cartoons in newspapers and a traditional Kerala show called Chakyar Koothu.
In that show, a performer is allowed to make fun of even the king!
Others liked a serious play about a bad leader named Arturo Ui and a funny book about a silly soldier called Svejk.
They all think laughing at powerful people is a very old and very good tradition.
It keeps democracy healthy because it stops leaders from becoming too proud.
Filmmaker Saeed Mirza picked Kundan Shah's Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro as a 'theatre of the absurd' that mocked corruption, patriotism and fake media.
Parliamentarian Ravi Shankar Prasad praised BBC's Yes Minister and recalled parliamentary jokes, including Mahavir Tyagi's retort to Jawaharlal Nehru.
Economist Sumangala Damodaran cited RK Laxman's cartoons, Zapiro, Tomás Alea's Death of a Bureaucrat and Kerala's traditional Chakyar Koothu.
Theatre director Amal Allana chose Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, a satire on Adolf Hitler's rise staged at the Berliner Ensemble.
Writer Namita Gokhale recommended Jaroslav Hasek's The Good Soldier Svejk, while RAQS Media Collective cited Rabin Mondal's King series and The Emperor's New Clothes.
- Who
- Indian cultural figures including filmmaker Saeed Mirza, Lok Sabha MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, economist Sumangala Damodaran, theatre director and former National School of Drama chairperson Amal Allana, writer and Jaipur Literature Festival co-founder Namita Gokhale, and artists of RAQS Media Collective.
- What
- Each figure shared a favourite work of political satire, spanning film, television, cartoons, theatre, painting and literature.
- Where
- Not stated directly; the works discussed hail from India (Mumbai, Kerala), the UK (BBC), Germany (Berliner Ensemble), the Czech Republic, South Africa and Colombia.
- When
- Not specified in the articles.
- Why
- To celebrate the tradition of satire as a way to laugh at power and to argue that humour enlivens democracy.
Key facts
- Theme
- Political satire and the freedom to laugh at power
- Contributors
- Six Indian cultural figures from film, theatre, literature, art and politics
- Favourite film
- Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro by Kundan Shah (Saeed Mirza); Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne by Satyajit Ray (Damodaran and RAQS Media Collective)
- Favourite TV series
- Yes Minister (BBC), chosen by Ravi Shankar Prasad
- Favourite play
- The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht (Amal Allana)
- Favourite novel
- The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek (Namita Gokhale)
- Traditional satire cited
- Kerala's Chakyar Koothu, where performers can mock even the king
- Notable quote
- "If you try to crush humour through the power of the state, you are ultimately the loser." — Ravi Shankar Prasad
Quotes
Ravi Shankar Prasad
Lawyer and Member of Lok Sabha
“Political humour and satire have always been an integral part of the Indian parliamentary tradition.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
Related news
Comedian Champions 'Post-Cockroach' Satire as India Cracks Down on Dissent
R Madhavan rejects 'sanghi' label, defends Dhurandhar against 'propaganda' charge
Languages of Freedom Book Review Explores India's Political Thought
Gen Z Turns 'Cockroach' Insult Into a Viral Protest Movement
'Creativity Takes Backseat When Playing With Power': Jeet
Manoj Bajpayee Urges Humor With Respect Amid Samay Raina Row
Srijit Mukherji's 'Maharaja Tomare Selam' Chronicles Making of Ray Classic
