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When Gol Maal inspired Golmaal

Going by the reviews, Rohit Shetty's All The Best is the best pick from among the other two Diwali releases -- Blue and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna.

The comedy starring Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse, though inane, was lapped up by the audience. And credit for this goes to its director -- Rohit Shetty, the man behind the Golmaal series.

So what inspires the director? Nithya Ramani finds out as the director lists his favourite comedy films.

Gol Maal
Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Cast: Amol Palekar, Utpal Dutt and Dina Pathak

Though I have made a film with the same title, the original is the best. I just love the film for what it is. The idea of mistaken identity came from the film. The scenes where Amol Palekar's character Ram Prasad changes to Laxman Prasad and vice versa is hilarious, and one of my favourites. 

There is a point when he feels that everything has gone out of this hand and he feels helpless. Generally at this time, you only feel sorry for the character and it is supposed to be serious. But here it was very funny.

I also liked Utpal Dutt's performance, and his fetish for people with mustaches. The noise -- eesshh -- which he makes when he hears bad news is hilarious.

I loved Dina Pathak's character too. She plays the mother that Amol never had. The scene where she tries to squeeze through a small window when Utpal Dutt becomes suspicious of her is so funny.

Also, the climax scene where Utpal Dutt is caught by the police for violating traffic rules is hilarious.

The most important thing about this film is its simplicity and the fact that it's still funny today as it was then. This movie tops my list of favourite comedies.

Hera Pheri

Director: Priyadarshan
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal

I loved this movie and enjoyed it thoroughly. This is the kind of film that you will remember, always.

I loved Paresh Rawal's character, Baburao. His looks, his dialect, his performance were all so funny. 

He is someone who is against violence but in the climax, he suddenly picks up a gun and starts shooting aimlessly. That was funny.

Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Half Ticket

Director: Satyen Bose, Kalidas
Cast: Kishore Kumar, Madhubala, Ashok Kumar, Pran

I love most of Kishore Kumar's comedies. Though there isn't much of a plot in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Kishore Kumar and Madhubala's chemistry was very nice to see on screen. It was an overall entertainer and I loved it.

I like Kishore Kumar's performance as a young kid in Half Ticket. There is this scene where he is dancing when suddenly he hears the sound of thunder. His reaction to the sound was very funny.

Chupke Chupke

Director: Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Cast: Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri

What worked for this film is its unusual story. The common thing about all the films mentioned so far is mistaken identity, which gives a lot of laughs.

I loved all the principal characters -- Dharamji, Bachchan saab, Kesto Mukherjee and Om Prakash. I loved the way Dharmendra spoke in his Hindi/Urdu dialect, and the way he was making fun of the English language.

Also, my favourite scene has to be the one where Dharmendra sneaks inside his wife Sharmila's room to find a thief already inside. This is a very unusual scene as Dharmendra and the thief get into a conversation, which ends in him helping the thief escape.  This is a very memorable scene and it worked with the masses.

Bad Boys and Rush Hour

Director: Michael Bay (Bad Boys); Brett Ratner (Rush Hour)
Cast: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys); Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan (Rush Hour)

These are the kind of action films I love -- action with comedy woven into them. I don't like hard core action films. And I guess I'm so used to the comedy genre that I'm scared to venture into action films.