Humorist and director of ‘Heyy Baby’, Sajid Khan, disapproves of stale jokes being recycled in stand-up comedy shows.
Humorist and director of ‘Heyy Baby’, Sajid Khan, disapproves of stale jokes being recycled in stand-up comedy shows
Who is the best stand-up comedian in the industry?
Shekhar Suman is a very good actor. So when he does stand-up comedy he does it as an actor. That’s why he happens to be so good. Otherwise, I think Javed Jaaferi is very good. He has got an amazing sense of humour. But he is foolish as he wants to be a hero. I am not so stupid.
With the spurt of comedy shows on TV, do you think that stand-up comedy is getting a face lift?
No. I think most of those programmes are substandard. I can’t laugh at their jokes. They are stale jokes, which we used to crack as four-year-olds. They have just trivialised comedy. I know comedians like Raju Shrivastav are very talented. But the jokes are too old to make people laugh anymore.
Who according to you does great comedy in films?
My all-time favourites are the late actors Amjad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar. Had they been alive today, I would have them in all my films. They were simply the best. In recent times, I think Paresh Rawal is good. At times he has almost matched Amjad Khan and Sanjeev Kumar’s calibre. I don’t see anyone else who is close to him.
Which is the finest comedy to have been made in Bollywood?
Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s ‘Golmaal’. Hrishida was a brilliant director. I acted in ‘Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kaate’ because I simply wanted to work with him. But I admit that it was not a good movie. I told him on the second day of the shoot itself that the film wouldn’t work. But he was one Indian director who matched international standards.
Which are your favourite comedies?
I love ‘Duck Soup’ and ‘The Marx Brothers’. These are the best.
Your favourite Indian films…
‘Mother India’, ‘Sholay’, ‘Golmaal’, ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Rang de Basanti’.
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