Punjabi antenna
Where has Punjabi humour gone?
Randeep Wadehra 

On Zee Punjabi, Khaas Mulakaat had Shahid Kapoor as guest. Balwinder, the host – who normally interviews Punjabi litterateurs – did a good job of asking right questions regarding his latest movie and other aspects of his professional life. On the same channel Khabarsaar took a close look at the SGPC and its functioning; the debate went beyond the usual politics.

Why do potentially absorbing debates turn into an amalgam of inanities? The anchor of Masle (PTC News) gave an impressive intro to the topic relating to the rationale behind recent increase in petrol prices. Are the public sector oil companies really incurring losses? The panel for debate comprised two experts and one social activist. Ritesh Lakhi, the anchor, turned to the first expert for an answer.

The worthy immediately declared that the figures presented by the government were false. What made him say so? The expert pointed out that every PSU had directors from the private sector, too, who would not tolerate losses on their investments in the PSU. Therefore, the claimed loss of Rs 50,000 crore was fabricated. With bated breath one waited for an elucidation of the expert’s precipitate conclusions. Instead, we got a lecture on rates and inflation!

Very cerebral, indeed, but irrelevant to the topic being discussed – one thought the anchor would point this out. But no, he turned to the expert number two. Not to be outdone, he went on to accuse the government of presenting wrong/false GDP figures! He then proceeded to tell us how the government ‘cleverly’ did this! Breathless, one waited for the social activist’s turn. He did not disappoint. "We cannot trust this government," he pronounced with all the authority at his command. And why, pray? Simple, the government had been printing currency notes on substandard paper, even as everyone accused Pakistan of flooding our economy with counterfeits!

How did his earth-shattering observation connect with the withdrawal of subsidies on petroleum products? Don’t ask.

One desperately wanted to take a break from reviewing the chaff that floats around in the name of serious debates. Sadly, channel surfing did not yield anything of note. It was either religious discourse or video music.

The drama slot on DD Punjabi offers only a repertoire of repeats. On ETC Punjabi, too, the stuff churned out does not enthuse. So, one sought out comedy. Currently, PTC Punjabi is hosting a reality show on laughter. After watching a few episodes, one began to wonder whether the much-vaunted Punjabi sense of humour and dynamism was a myth actually. One came across worn out gags and predictable punch lines; for example, a son-in-law is fed sarson-da-saag thrice on the same day by his mother-in-law on the plea that it contains iron; he retorts that he may as well be given an iron rod to eat. Frankly, the Masle debate on petrol prices was more amusing.

Stand-up comedy is an art form that should be able to evoke immediate laughs from the audience; otherwise it will fall flat. In this genre the audiences’ feedback is instant, which is crucial for a comic act’s success. Audiences expect a stand-up comic to provide a steady stream of mirth, and a performer is always under great pressure to deliver. Therefore, constant supply of fresh gags and stunning punch lines is vital.

DD Punjabi, too, has a slot for comedy of the theatrical variety. Unfortunately, this too relies heavily on the rustic nakaliya tradition; but here spouses and in-laws predominate – an old hat, really. We all know that theatre comedy creates humour within the structure of a play with amusing characters and situations. This provides reasonable scope for developing innovative ideas. Punjabis are known for innovation in various fields, especially business and industry. How come they are lagging behind in performing arts, especially comedy?