#NewsBytesExplainer: Understanding sub-genres of comedy films with prominent examples

Comedy is a multilayered film genre and cannot be straitjacketed into simply one broad category. Comedy films often thrive upon different core ideas and themes, such as crime, funerals, spoofs, horror, friendship, action, superheroes, or societal critique. In Indian cinema, too, several popular comedy movies branch out of these sub-genres. Let's take a look at the types and prominent examples.

Most of the comedy work done by legendary artist Charlie Chaplin falls into this category. Slapstick comedy refers to evoking laughter through over-the-top and exaggerated physical actions and stunts, such as falling from heights, falling out of a car, slapping each other, etc. For instance, this technique was used in the climax of Priyadarshan's Hungama too. International examples include The Mask and Liar Liar.

Preimum Beat defines screwball comedies as something that typically consists of "a strong feminine lead battling the masculine character in the relationship; it can be seen as a battle of the sexes." "Having a dominant performer for your feminine lead is vital," it says. Some Hollywood examples include It Happened One Night, She's Funny That Way, and The Philadelphia Story, among others.

As the name suggests, horror comedies are a combination of horror and comedy, and movies that can blend both genres and their respective defining elements (fear, dread, and laughter) successfully are usually rare to find. Some examples from Bollywood include Stree, Bhediya, Phone Bhoot, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, with a reported Stree-Bhediya crossover also on the cards in the coming years.

Another genre that has emerged as filmmakers' favorite in the past few years is black/dark comedy. As per Premium Beat, "We wouldn't usually laugh at these subjects — situations like war, murder, and death." In such comedies, humor is derived from morbid subjects like murder/suicide, poverty, and war, but "the disturbing realism is normally removed to allow audiences to see the funny side instead."

Used extensively by Priyadarshan in his Hindi films, comedy of errors refers to a situation of incoherence, madness, and confusion brought about due to the intersection of multiple characters in the same scene. Think right people, wrong time. Remember the climax sequence of De Dana Dan, Hera Pheri, Phir Hera Pheri, Bhagam Bhag, or Malamaal Weekly? They all meet the criteria.