Asterix and Obelix, Laurel and Hardy, Beetle and Bailey... somehow the fat man skinny man combo never fails to click in comedy. The visual element undoubtedly contributes a lot to the humour; someone who looks completely normal is in all probability incapable of oddity, and no fun at all. But the very sight of one who does not fit into what is considered ‘normal’ evokes a few titters right away and sets everyone in a mood for laughter. And when two extremes come together, the effect is nothing less than riotous. Whatever the pair does together, whether it is transporting a piano up the stairs or chasing each other, turns out to be comic. Says Dr S D Singh, psychiatrist, “Involving two people instead of one is actually the originator’s method of creating conversation. A thin man or a fat man by himself may not look odd but when compared to the other, will look doubly thin or fat and consequently funny.” And the formula continues to be in use across all ages and cultures, from Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau in ‘The Odd Couple’ right down to Adur Bhasi and Bahadur in Malayalam oldies or Coundamani and Senthil in Tamil films or the incomparable Mohanlal-Srinivasan duo in the comic series - Nadodikkattu, Pattanapravesham and Akkareyakkareyakkare.
Another factor that contributes to the comedy could be the pair’s almost always conflicting personalities. Hardy is touchy and easily agitated and attempts to be practical but all his plans are foiled by the endearingly absentminded and laid-back Laurel, whenever they set out to do something together. As for Beetle and Bailey, it is tough to say who is funnier, Beetle with his well-intentioned actions or Bailey with his outbursts of anger which are met with innocent surprise by Beetle before he gets to his feet and heads to the hills. Asterix and Obelix are an exception here; though Obelix is placid and easygoing, (he has none to fear, incidentally, as he fell into the magic potion when he was a baby which makes him superhuman) Asterix is quick and sharp and not actually funny except when he makes fun of Obelix and in the rarest of cases when he meets a pretty girl.
In the case of all the pairs, one partner assumes the role of the parent, or the more mature person, and tries to instruct and control the other - Hardy, Asterix and Bailey in the three sets respectively. But this only makes it all the more uproarious as the reader or audience is aware that the supposedly mature one is as idiotic as the other. “On the one hand you have Asterix who his witty and intelligent and on the other you have Obeilx, a bit morose and dumb, complete opposites and consequently funny” says Rakesh R, an avid reader of the series. The advice and suggestions proffered by one are taken in all seriousness by the other, the most hilarious examples of which can be found in the riotous episodes of Mohanlal and Srinivasan as newcomers in the US in Akkareyakkareyakkare.
The relationship between the partners also contributes a lot to the humour; most of these series work in the ‘tit-for-tat’ routine.
Though Asterix and Obelix are not exactly rivals like the others, Obelix has his moments of success when he unintentionally hits upon the right solutions for which Asterix slogs and ponders for long.
The rest of the pairs are constantly involved in a contest with each other but invariably unite in the face of a common crisis, much to the delight of the audience.
Which is another aspect common to all such series. Neither of the pair wins over the other in the end, instead both win or end up as friends. The camraderie they share with each other is ultimately the success of the pairs; there is no humour in the face of real enmity, and nobody is funny unless they are lovable.
The slapstick figures of the fat-guyskinny- guy might not be as successful in the present as they were in the past, say, 50 years ago, but the formula continues to entertain, in an evolved manner perhaps, in which comic pairs contrast in ways other than size.
ashaprakash@epmltd.com
