BENGALURU: In 1999, India had a tele series, Hello Friends, which was a desi version of the popular American sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S. It starred Simone Singh, Maria Goretti, Nikhil Chinapa, Anil Dimbri, Aparna Banerjee and Cyrus Broacha. Broacha, who portrayed the character inspired by Chandler Bing, now looks back at it as a ‘cringe-worthy, awkward ’90s show which was funny in its own way’.
But moving to the more popular shows that Broacha is known for, MTV Bakra popularised prank shows in India. According to Broacha, the prank he played on Bengaluru boy Rahul Dravid, where a girl was set up to say she wanted to marry Dravid – putting the cricketer on the spot – is still an iconic one.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, we were doing a Pepsi ad with Dravid when my team suggested pranking him. Luckily, he took it in the right spirit. Had it been anyone else, we would have landed in trouble,” he says, adding, “Maybe it’s something to do with Bengaluru. People here are very level-headed, they don’t wear their stardom.”
Having started his career as a ‘funny man’ at a time when there was no space for comics, Broacha recalls he was told to not be funny because viewers would get upset. “But I have a contrary personality. If you ask me not to do something, I will most probably go ahead and do it,” says Broacha, who also gives credit to his ‘failed career as a lawyer’.
However, being on MTV also gave him a platform like none other. “By nature, I could not be serious for too long. The business I was in at MTV was entertainment, and we used to play songs and discuss them. So I was asked to take a funny angle. But I didn’t have a choice, what else could I do? I could not look like Malaika Arora (a fellow VJ),” says Broacha with a laugh.
There is no contradiction to the fact that the comic landscape has changed much since the time Broacha started. For which, he says he has to be careful about how jokes are presented. “India has suddenly changed and you have to be careful while writing. As you know, governments have taken themselves quite seriously. But what we try to do is not get personal,” says Broacha.
(Cyrus Broacha will be performing at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, on February 8, 7.30pm)
The comedian who started it all, Cyrus Broacha, is here in namma ooru to entertain audiences. Ahead of his show today, the ‘funny man’ recalls his iconic prank on Bengaluru boy Rahul Dravid, how his failed law career got him into the world of entertainment, and the changing landscape of comedy