Black comedy, also known as
black humor is a sub-genre of
comedy and
satire where topics and events that are usually treated seriously—
death,
mass murder,
suicide,
domestic abuse,
sickness,
madness,
fear,
drug abuse,
rape,
war,
terrorism etc.—are treated in a humorous or satirical manner. Synonyms include
dark humor,
morbid humor,
gallows humour and
off-color humour.
This the typical definition of black comedy in Wikipedia. But personified look at black comedy may vary from protagonist to protagonist. First question that rise in our mind that "how can comedy be classified in colors?" Black is really a color of depression and death symbolized in west. Hence,emotion as comedy is classified as dark comedy or black comedy.
Delight is momentarily and dejection everlasting.
It is universal theme on which dark comedy is based. Laughing on dejection and sorrows is nothing but dark comedy. Comedy is either humorous or filled with nonsense. To laugh on once action,emotion and condition is superb gift to human kind by nature. To fight unjust system with burst of laughter is a big deal. It is well said that laughter is the remedy of all diseases.
Comic characters are famous from our past stories. In the play 'King Lear' the story of fool following the king in all condition is heartbreaking. As a child,I came across comedy "
Don Quixote". It is a dark humor about about a noble Don Quixote and his companion '
Sancho Panza'. But literature provides very good but rare examples of dark humor. I regret that no piece of painting, poem or music had struck me like cinema on black comedy.
Only cinema has few gems inside its storytelling way to visualize it. Sufferings form poverty, war, modernization, traditions and death is shown in pure form in early silent movies of Charlie Chaplin in modest way. That was my first introduction to dark humor in my childhood days.Cinema gives new dimension to this art of black comedy.
Jaane bhi do yaaron is a genuine black comedy from parallel cinema in my country. It depicts the level of corruption in India.But a long way to go to achieve something in this field. But where are we heading now in this field? We fear to use black comic art in field like religion and culture. An artist is not given enough freedom to speech in this country. But an artist is inside everyone to speak out.A rare art of black comedy will come pure with hard times and vengeance to this unjust world.
