"The Tragedy of Comedy"

There is something inherently common in these two classic genres. They seem so far apart that they are yoked as good to evil and light to darkness. Sometimes the tragedies grow to such immense proportions that they lose their meaning and then what comes out of them is laughter because it is the most immediate relief. Surf through the Pakistani comic stage and TV shows on youtube from where most of the comic punches are lifted for hindi comedy shows and you will realize how good they are at making fun of everything and most of their own. I find the roots of that profound sense of comedy in the bigger tragedy of Pakistan.

                                                 Intense hunger and destitution experienced by Sir Charlie Chaplin made him the artist he was, not to mention his talent. Johny Lever, the most visible comic face of Hindi cinema until few years ago had a childhood marred by hardships and sadness. To me it seems that the comedy either starts with tragedy or it ends with tragedy. The two people aforementioned started with tragedy and lived almost happy lives as the state of happiness is always almost and never complete. There are other artists who had happy beginnings, entertained people with their mastery over comics, attained success and popularity before grief took over them drying their source and rendering them to the fall. When people waited for more from them to shake their bellies with heartfelt laughter, tragedy drew the curtain. Micke Dubois, the Swedish comedian, Tony Hancock who was famous for BBC’s Hancock’s Half Hour, Richard Jeni who is named amongst the greatest stand up comedians of all them; they all took their lives. Even in the era before motion pictures came in to existence when Theatre companies used to travel the hinterlands of England, there were many stage comedians who committed suicide. Robin Williams, one of the most gifted comedians of our times took his life when he ruled the hearts of millions of people.  If everyone is entitled to his or her share of tragedy, how much one wishes that grief could strike early so that endings are happy.