In Episode 2, we go a bit lighter and discuss Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s 1979 smash comedy Gol Maal (meaning “Messed Up” in English), a comedy where a sports-and-film obsessed chartered accountant switches between dual identities to keep his job and woo his boss’s daughter, Urmila.

If you’re feeling, like us, that one of the best remedies for these trying times is a good comedy, then this might just be for you. Fake identity hijinks! Mocking Bollywood superstar cameos! An obsession with moustaches (so many moustaches)! It may not quite match the comic insanity of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (which we will definitely cover one day) but this movie is pretty close in its dedication to making you laugh yourself silly.

In this episode, we also attempt to unravel some of the context of late 70s India which influenced the film. Much of the humour is actually a gentle and good-natured poke at the conflict between traditional Hindu values of the older generation (such as having the right kind of moustache) and the increasingly Westernised values of the younger one (such as not even having a moustache). The film also contains a smattering of gender and workplace politics, all done in good fun.

So, moustache or not, take your seat and get ready for kick-off as we dive into Gol Maal.

 

NB: The episode Thumbnail is the Poster for Gol Maal, as found on Wikipedia. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist.