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9 old Bollywood comedy films you need to watch on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar
Roll back the years with these timeless classics
We all know we could use some great humour after what 2020 has offered so far. We also know that there's nothing better than classic Bollywood comedy films from the past few decades that can do the trick as brilliantly. For an afternoon (or an entire week) filled with giggles and laughter, stream one of these gems that are still available to watch online.
Angoor (1982)
Inspired by William Shakespeare's play, A Comedy of Errors, Angoor narrates the story of two sets of identical twins who are separated at a young age. Many years later, fate plays its game and brings all four of them to the same place, causing a cascade of complications and misunderstandings. To add to the confusion, the first two twins are both named Ashok, whereas the other two share the name Bahadur. As the situation gets out of hand, their families involve the police who try to solve this hilarious puzzle of mistaken identity. The movie stars Sanjeev Kumar and Deven Verma in the lead.
Streaming on Disney+ Hotstar
Gol Maal (1979)
Ram (Amol Palekar) is a fresh college graduate who goes to interview at Bhavani Shankar's (Utpal Dutt) firm for a job. To secure the position, he has to fulfil criteria including having a moustache, wearing traditional Indian clothes, and being disinterested in any recreational activities such as sports or music. While he makes an unpredictably good impression in the interview and gets the job, he has to invent a twin brother—the clean-shaven, good-for-nothing Laxman—after getting spotted at a hockey match by his boss. A single lie soon transforms into the plot, as Ram struggles to live a dual life, playing a sincere employee by day and a louche romancing his boss' daughter by night.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Padosan (1968)
The film tells the story of Bhola (Sunil Dutt), an innocent young man who moves in with his aunt. The decision seems favourable when he notices their neighbour, Bindu (Saira Banu), and falls head over heels for her. However, she shows no interest in Bhola—who then seeks help from his singer friend, Vidyapati (Kishore Kumar). Unable to teach him to sing, Vidyapati urges Bhola to lip-sync to his voice to win Bindu over. Their plan seems to work as she starts to soften up to his advances, before he is soon caught out. Bhola is in for a bigger shock as Bindu agrees to marry his uncle in a fit of rage.
Streaming on Eros Now
Khatta Meetha (1978)
The film is a rib-tickling story of two families coming together in a unique union. Homi Mistry is a widower who looks after his four sons. Soon about to retire, he decides to remarry in hopes to complete his family. Homi's friend introduces him to Nargis Sethna, a single mother of three, and the duo get married. As the newly-wed couple find comfort in each other, their kids draw out the knives for an all-out battle. This new arrangement opens doors for hilarious consequences as the two sets of children try to co-exist.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Satte Pe Satta (1982)
Ravi (Amitabh Bachchan) and his six younger brothers reside in a huge farmhouse and run it together. Having had no exposure to education and with only their eldest brother as an example, the younger ones are not too bright when it comes to discipline and hygiene. Ravi eventually falls in love with a nurse, Indu (Hema Malini), and marries her. He lies and tells her about having just one brother but she is shocked to discover the condition they all live in. She takes it upon herself to civilise them as they learn to adjust with a woman's presence in their house.
Streaming on Netflix
Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983)
Two professional photographers, Vinod (Naseeruddin Shah) and Sudhir (Ravi Baswani), start a photo studio together, but the lack of customers dampens their spirits. Eventually, they are approached by Khabardar magazine, a company that exposes scandals from the lives of the elite. The duo are assigned to uncover the shrewd dealings between a malicious builder and a corrupt municipal commissioner. At the same time, they click pictures everywhere in the city for a competition. Things take a drastic turn when they accidentally capture the same builder indulging in a criminal activity. While the movie does have a serious premise, its hilarious execution is what makes it a great comedy movie.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958)
Three brothers, Brijmohan, Manmohan and Jagmohan Sharma are proud owners of a garage in Mumbai. Brijmohan, who is the oldest, despises all women for an unknown reason and prevents his brothers from getting involved with anyone romantically. As the story progresses, both of them end up falling for two ladies and go to extreme lengths to hide it from their brother. However, a twist awaits as they discover that Brijmohan too hides a picture of a mysterious woman under his pillow. The movie stars real-life brothers Ashok, Kishore and Anoop Kumar in the lead.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
When Raveena Bajaj, the daughter of a wealthy businessman, arrives in India to find a suitable groom for herself, two men—Amar (Aamir Khan) and Prem (Salman Khan)—plan to acquire her wealth by marrying her. They try to one-up each other and manage to get into her house, disguised as a patient and a doctor, respectively. Amar manages to impress Raveena while Prem falls for her manager, Karishma. Hilarity ensues when the true nature of the women's identities is revealed to them.
Streaming on Netflix
Hera Pheri (2000)
Shyam (Suniel Shetty) and Raju (Akshay Kumar) live as tenants in Baburao Apte's (Paresh Rawal) home. The three face their own everyday struggles, but dream of earning a lot of money one day. Their stars align when due to a misprint in the telephone directory, a goon who has kidnapped a businessman's granddaughter, calls them for ransom instead. The trio decide to use this opportunity to act as mediators between the kidnapper and the businessman to earn extra money themselves and save the child's life. The plan seems simple, but the resulting chaos showcases some of the best comedic moments in Bollywood history.
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
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