Happy birthday, Suniel Shetty: Revisiting his work in comedy films
Bollywood's "anna" Suniel Shetty is celebrting his 62nd birthday on Friday. The multifaceted actor stepped into Hindi cinema with Balwaan and since then, has charmed us with his unwavering commitment to a wide variety of roles across genres. While action is his niche and has brought him commercial and critical acclaim, comedy isn't far behind. Let's dig a little deeper into his comedic roles.
'Hera Pheri' series
Shetty as the educated, ambitious, job-seeking Ghanshyam Tripathi in the Hera Pheri series harbors a permanent place in our hearts. A turn of unexpected events leads him to become friends with Baburao and Raju, eventually giving us a tale of endearing friendship and innocence stacked against life's odds. And, of course, not to forget his love for the two Anuradhas—one in each installment.
'Deewane Huye Paagal'
Deewane Huye Paagal has perhaps some of the funniest scenes in the history of Hindi comedy films, especially the rib-tickling conversation between Rocky (Akshay Kumar) and Sanju (Shetty) when they discuss who is the better architect. Shetty was in crutches in the entire film barring the climax and the way he kept refusing help evoked laughter and not pity—as the character rightfully demanded.
'De Dana Dan'
Shetty teamed up with his frequent collaborator Kumar for De Dana Dan, a story about two down-and-out miserable men who have nothing going on in their lives except each other's friendship. His evident comfort with Kumar glistened, especially in the scenes where they hatch plans to become rich overnight or the many times their painstakingly curated charade was about to be exposed.
'One Two Three'
Reportedly an uncredited remake of Blame It on the Bellboy, One Two Three isn't unfortunately as memorable as the aforementioned three movies. However, that says nothing about Shetty's comedic genius, who plays one of the three Laxmi Narayans in this comedy film that takes the case of mistaken identities to an altogether higher level. His character was marked by over-the-top obedience and yes-man behavior.
