A life so Tragicomic

Kelaa mera, Chhilka mera, Fislaa main..
Tere baap ka kya gaya?

A very fine line exists between the comic and the tragic.. a line that becomes even finer in the Indian cinema/ theatre/ television. How easy it is for the not-so-seasoned actors to cross that line. A comedy that is loud, forced and cacophonous turns into a tragedy of sorts for the viewer, who's left with a splitting headache. A tragedy which has been all hammed up, would sometimes seem so funny, that you'd wish it had been labelled a comedy in the first place. (all those maa bimar, beta bimar scenes.. or the sudden heart attacks where the actor clutches the wrong side of his chest.. you know what I'm talking about.) So basically.. over the top comedy is tragedy, over the top tragedy is comedy, and the twain meet very often!

The study of the phenomenon of Tragicomedy, when extended to real life, assumes a disturbing form. A man slipping on a banana peel is oh so funny for the witnesses, and oh so tragic for the man. A bully derives his daily dose of comedy from the bullied, who in turn is living a mini tragedy. A man, rather than working hard to acquire the luxuries of life, would damage the neighbour's fancy car, and find it very funny (at the cost of the car owner of course) .

So, it's all relative! As if Laughter is a limited resource that everyone can not have. It can only be transferred from one to the other.. One laughs only at the cost of another.. which would mean that comedy and tragedy coexist in space and time and are hopelessly inseparable.

Or is it that Comedy and Tragedy are illusions, created by poets to sell their poetry better, while life is way too bland to acquire forms so strong?