“Life isn’t all Haha Hee Hee” as Meera’s Syal’s book suggests, but in Bollywood, the comedy genre has its very own niche and following. For an all-rounded movie spectacle a la Dharma Productions style, any given movie should have portions of emotion, drama, dance, action and comedy. It can be said that in recent years, what is successful comically has altered because the audiences seem to have evolved in terms of what they find makes them laugh. However, it would be right to say that each Bollywood fan worldwide is able to list their favourite funny films in an instant. Here’s a special and unique selection of the films that continue to make us laugh until our stomachs hurt…

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). The name of the movie itself is enough to put a smile on a Bollywood fan’s face. The film, starring Shah Rukh Khan and introducing Anushka Sharma, is perhaps not one that would instantly come to mind when thinking about films in the comedy genre. However, the love story which sees a marriage of convenience and sees a husband becoming a different character altogether to impress his wife, is – I’m sure you’ll agree – a very funny tale. It has to be said that Khan’s rendition of Raj helped make Aditya Chopra laugh all the way to the bank and rightly so.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’s secret to success was in its simple story and larger than life characters. As mentioned, Khan’s constant switch between the two characters of Suri and Raj is what makes this movie unforgettable. It’s fair to say that the dialogues given to Raj are ones to remember and his extremely colourful wardrobe only added to the funniness. Be it the Matrix-style motorbike scene or the Pani Puri competition between Taani Partner and Raj, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is enough to define the kind of comedy which is fresh and made with a lot of heart. And it gets some hearty laughs from us!