When veteran actor Asrani spoke about vulgarity in comedy films: 'All that remains is taking clothes off and...'

Veteran actor Asrani once candidly spoke about the rising vulgarity in comedy and how acclaimed filmmakers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar and Basu Chatterjee gave him roles that pushed boundaries and helped him break the mould of a funny artist.

Asrani, who passed away at the age of 84 on Monday, appeared in more than 300 films and became one of Hindi cinema’s most beloved actors.

In a 2016 interview with PTI, Asrani said it was comedy icon Mehmood who introduced double-meaning dialogues but said the trend later took a crude turn later in Hindi cinema, including in films like “Mastizaade”, which Asrani regretted doing.

“Mehmood sahab had started using double meaning dialogues and some of them worked, so others tried to cash in on the formula. It was still double meaning then but now it is vulgar, all that remains is taking clothes off,” he said in the interview.

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It was 1975 hit “Sholay” that made him popular as a comedy actor and Asrani said such is the nature of the film industry that once an artist makes an impact in a particular role or genre, they are often confined to it.

“Nobody wants to take a chance in films. If somebody worked well in comedy, they will repeat him in a similar role as a safe bet. Then there were the likes of L V Prasad, B R Chopra, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar who gave me challenging roles and pushed boundaries,” Asrani said.

“B R Chopra went against the common notion and cast me in ‘Nikaah’. People would wonder why he was casting me in a serious film, but he asked them to mind their own business, he was so convinced,” he added.

Asrani shared a creative bond with Mukherjee and Gulzar, both of whom he credited for recognising his range as an artist beyond comedy.

Under Mukherjee’s direction, he appeared in acclaimed films such as “Abhimaan”, “Chupke Chupke” and “Bawarchi”. With Gulzar, Asrani worked in films like “Koshish” and “Chaitali”, which allowed him to explore serious and emotional roles. Asrani had singled out his role in Mukherjee’s 1973 classic “Abhimaan” as one closest to his heart.

In the Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhadhuri-starrer, he essayed the role of Bachchan’s close friend and secretary.

“I thought it was a tough character to play. But it was Hrishikesh Mukherjee who was convinced and kept pushing me to pull off the role so naturally,” he recalled.

He also credited Chopra for breaking convention by casting him in a serious part in the 1982 drama “Nikaah”.

“People would wonder why he was casting me in a serious film, but he asked them to mind their own business. He was so convinced,” Asrani said.

The veteran, who started his career in the late 1960s, also spoke about the evolution of comedy in Hindi cinema and how it was influenced by two distinct “schools”.

“There were initially two schools of thought as far as comedy in Hindi films is concerned. One was the ‘Bimal Roy School’ whose exponents included Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Gulzar, L V Prasad, Basu Chatterjee and Basu Bhattacharya. Their films were realistic and the comedy subtle,” he said.

“Then came the ‘Madras School’ which brought a separate comedy track, different from the main story. Jeetendra, myself and Kader Khan, among others, did this. It worked for some years… here the comedy was loud nonetheless it was homely,” he added.

Regretting his role in 2016 adult comedy “Mastizaade”, Asrani said he was embarrassed to have worked in it.

“It’s terrible and horrible (the vulgarity in films these days). I did not know that the film would be made like this,” he said, adding that he stayed away from saying double-meaning dialogues in his career.

Asrani believed audiences would ultimately turn back to cinema rooted in family values.

“People can discern now, the multiplex-going audience says we don’t like this vulgarity and this phase will get over soon… It won’t work for long because basically we Indians are family-oriented people,” he said.