This all-out comedy made me laugh tears

The only comedy in recent years that made ME laugh tears is the Hindi comedy "36 China Town".

Usually the best a comedy can do for me is to make me grin or chuckle.

So "36 China Town" is highly recommended by me.

Music is not the best (too much techno touch for my taste, I prefer the traditional Indian percussion instrumentation) but very modern, voice melodies are generally good, the song visualisations are very good.

I expected a murder mystery with some comedy scenes thrown in. But it starts as a very lame thriller, I've never seen Isha Koppikar acting so bad, I did not even manage to recognise her in the first viewing because of this. I very much liked her in "Ek Se Badhkar Ek" or "Don". I think she also thought 'what a lame thriller' .

So the first part is somewhat slow and goofy, but as soon as Shahid Kapur (min. 16) and then Kareena Kapoor (min. 22) appear the comedy takes off. Shahid Kapur dances a very good 'SRK as lover boy' imitation in the second song, for me it works like a very good parody. His body control actually is better than SRK's . He dances well and participates in most of the dance-songs.

And it gets better and better. The most I laughed in the last but one song "Badi Dilchaspi" (1 h 54 min.). A really perfect visualisation of a comical situation.

OK, for me "36 China Town" is the best Hindi comedy I've seen so far. For comparison, I do not like "Andaz Apna Apna", but like "Zamaana Deewana", "Ek Se Badhkar Ek", and "Jab We Met". I really disliked "No Entry" and was nearly bored by "Masti". I like "36 China Town" far more than any SRK comedy except "Zamaana Deewana", which has a very long goofy introduction and a melodrama second part, so the comedy is only part of a masala film.

The only real issue I have with this film is that the editor or the director made a huge blunder when he forgot to introduce the SRK lover boy imitation. No one understands, why this dance song ("Jab Kabhi", which is really well made) appears at this position of the film. This is explained only after the song.


"36 China Town" has a good selection of actors, moreover with a convincing casting. Finally Johnny Lever plays a good comical part again. Akshaye Khanna plays very convincingly an inspector with a tongue in the cheek (works better for me than Ajay Devgan in "Masti"). And he has a comical deadpan partner.

Seeing good earnest actors like Akshaye Khanna and Paresh Rawal going into Bollywood comedy overdrive is quite an experience.

For me the comedy goes constantly uphill .

Though the plot is predictable, and the killing and its motivation revealed is really not well substantiated, I really enjoyed the whole of the 'Hercule Poirot' parody in the last third of the film.

I like the comedic plot of intimidating all suspects to induce the culprit to blunder. So my laughter climax comes in the song "Badi Dilchaspi Hai (Just beat it)", when the inspector makes his rounds and all the downcast suspects try to behave unconcerned and happy. It's so hilarious for me . Then tension rises through the catching of a major culprit, with Shahid Kapur performing an action stunt . And finally the denouement in 'Hercule Poirot' manner. I love it - but each to his own .

This comedy is all about facial contortions, body language, short sentences, situation comedy. I think it is a urbanised cultivated westernised form of the "Andaz Apna Apna" style humour.

This all-out comedy works for me due to the combination of many good actors all working flawlessly unisono in the Bollywood overacting style. Additionally, it is the able direction and the good dance songs which get more comical with every new song.

The film got good ratings from persons below 18. Most others ages seem to dislike this film. For me this is not understandable. I'm in the higher age ranges and I give this film 10/10.


--- each brain develops its own preferences ---