His impeccable comic timing has made him the king of humour in Mollywood. Now, Jagadish has proved that his innings in small screen is no less glitzy. As a man who knows quite a bit about humour and its ‘evolution’ over the decades, he considers himself a ‘teacher with social commitment’ and humour his tool. And, that is what he does as the judge in Asianet’s long-running comedy show ‘Vodafone Comedy Stars’.
Jagadish is all praise for the contestants of the show. “The contestants are talented enough to be tomorrow’s actors. They have a certain class and many directors look towards the show so that they can pick the best. I feel a responsibility to ensure that true talent is discovered,” says Jagadish.
According to him, several actors who does comedy with elan in the recent flick Action Hero Biju were hand picked from the sets of Comedy Stars.
But, Jagadish is never one to accept comedy that fails to deliver a social message.
“My friends, including actors, take a dig at me saying I give marks to any Tom, Dick and Harry who try to deliver a social message for the sake of it. However, this too is not acceptable. Social messages should come naturally in comedy skits. However, as a judge, I am very adamant that the skits should give an insight into political issues, bonds and relationships between families,” says Jagadish.
He quotes the example of Charlie Chaplin. “Chaplin is still remembered as a man of great comic genius even after decades. His movies, though laced with light humour throughout, had an important social message. This is how comedy can be used as a powerful tool,” he adds.
Comedy and Changing Times
Jagadish says when Comedy Stars was aired first in 2009, it was mainly standup comedies and mimicries. “Comedy, then, was limited to them. However, times were changing and we realized that we should experiment. It was no surprise that our ratings spiked when we incorporated a new style of staging comedy, which became a new trend on miniscreen,” he says. Jagadish adds that just like onscreen chemistry in films, there needs to be a good camaraderie between judges in a reality show. “Rimy Tomy is a perfect judge. I have heard criticism from several quarters about having Rimy Tomy as a judge in a comedy reality show as she is not a seasoned comedian. However, I believe Rimy has what it takes to be a judge. She is very down to earth and appreciates comedy a lot. She has the humour to accept a joke on her also. I believe Rimy represents the common man,” he says.
Jagadish is also praise for actor Shwetha Menon who has brought a new culture to judging reality shows. “She is very open and has been able to bring the Mumbai culture to Kerala shows. We have had our share of guest actors who have definitely made Comedy Stars produced by Biju Melila a huge entertainment factor.”
Jagadish, who is currently shooting for Mamootty-thriller Kasaba, attributes his comic trait to his mother.