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Shah Rukh Khan's Diwali blockbuster Om Shanti Om not only created fireworks at the box office but also managed to spark the anger of veteran actor Manoj Kumar.

Kumar is among the many stars from the 70s era who have been spoofed in the reincarnation drama. Infuriated, he threatened legal action against both Shah Rukh and director Farah Khan, called them “insecure” and said the movie was done in bad taste.

His outburst on national television was followed by an instantaneous apology by Shah Rukh and Farah.

And while Farah maintains the comic scene in the film was meant as a tribute, Manoj Kumar is not happy.

So while the stars sort out their issues, CNN-IBN show Face The Nation debated if Indians lack a sense of humour.

On the panel to debate the issue were creative director, Cheil (SW Asia), Pratthap Sutan and Actor Pooja Bedi joined the debate on the phone line.

Dard-e-Manoj Kumar?

So was Manoj Kumar overreacting? Prathap Sutan agreed and said the movie, in fact, brought the yesteryear actor back into the public memory and he shouldn’t consider this an insult. “I come from the south of Kerala and I have been recently introduced to the Bollywood film circuit. I never really knew who Manoj Kumar was until this morning. The film has brought him back into the limelight. It is a harmless take on his double, so to say. I don’t think that it was funny at all. He is old and wise enough to understand that,” Sutan said.

Pooja Bedi offered an interesting perspective. She said it’s only famous people who are spoofed and they should take it as a compliment. After all, imitation is the best for of flattery.

Sutan cited US as example where even pulling a gag on the President isn’t a big deal. In his opinion, India too needed to grow up. “We are buried deep in our culture and Indianess which is actually weighing us down,” Sutan said.

Pooja agreed, “We spend so much in the comedy business and I used to be a part of it. Presidents and great people were made fun of so what’s the big deal about it?”

Thin Line Between Joke And Insult

However, there seems to be a pattern in the Indian intolerance for humour. Take for example Indian Ambassador to US, Ronen Sen. He had allegedly called the critics of the nuclear deal “headless chickens” and the Parliamentary Privileges Committee pulled him up. Even internationally, radio jockey Jonathan Brady had to pay a heavy price for trying his humour at a certain race.

Sutan suggested while harmless humour was fun, people with a creative bent of mind must draw a line between funny and insulting. “These things some up especially in India because as a country we an insecure lot and it is insecurity that leads to all these problems. If you are a confident county comprising confident people no matter what anybody says. We get upset by the fact that we have curly hair, oily face and brown skin but that is us and let’s be ourselves!” he said.

He also said India was going through a metamorphosis and such incidents are expected. “That struggle is coming up evident as much like what happened in the Indian Idol incident. It was an ethnic slur. The Sikhs are poked fun at every single day but they do not retaliate. I think that they have the largest hearts,” he said.

Another incident that created much furore was when Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds was mocked at by Indian fans during a cricket match. Sutan justified the crowd behaviour as “tit-for-tat” treatment. “We get it from them when we go there and so it is high time that they got the flak for it. In USA too there is a constant babble between what is white and what is black. You are not even allowed to call people black there. So it only happens only in the most civilised societies.”

In Good Spirit And Humour

So it is time for the less humourous lot like us Indians to devise a code of ethics defining humour and demarcating it from insults. While Pooja didn’t think too much about the idea, Sutan pointed out no law could prevent certain slips-of-tongue or mistakes. “Why do we have murders and rapes happen then? It happens because human beings are impulsive, they make comments and make lewd remarks. It is up to us to personally pledge to ourselves that can prevent us from doing it,” he said.

Pooja Bedi concluded the show on an objective note. “Spoofs are famous world over. We have Presidents of nations being made fun of. We should sit back and enjoy it. We must realise that when we are making fun of people somebody turns around and has a good laugh at you then you have to laugh right back. The world is as funny as you are.”

Final SMS poll results: Do Indians lack a sense of humour?

Yes- 66 per cent

No- 34 per cent

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