Comic genre in Indian Cinema has been handled with utmost brilliance by some of the stalwarts in the Indian Film Industry in the past and the present generations of actors are also doing justice to the comic genre through their mid blowing acting skills. Humour is a virtue that is appreciated by all and sundry. It is too easy to break into laughter but it is equally difficult to make people laugh. The comic genre in Indian cinema has undergone great changes since the time of its conception. Comedy was previously part of films. Humour was, thus, utilized as a comic relief. Actors like, Johnny Walker, were the first comic actors of the Indian cinema. Later came Mehmood, IS Johar, Premnath, Bhagwan, Kishore Kumar, Keshto Mukherjee, Johnny Lever and others. The first comedy flick in Hindi was Albela (1951). The film was well accepted by the audience.

The comedy genre- the way of speaking, the action and characters, add humour to the situations. Comedy film generally is oldest genre in films and some of the silent films were comedies. Comedy films generally have happy endings, one of the exceptions being black comedy. Unlike other film genres, comedies put special focus on individual stars with many former stand-up comic transitions to the film industry due to their fame and popularity. We see that many comic films have light hearted stories with a single motto to amuse, and there are other films as well which contain social and political commentary.

The comic genre can be considered as the oldest film genre. There are many types of comedy that can be found in Indian Cinema. Slapstick comedy, parody, dark comedy and romantic comedy genre are popular in India. Slapstick is a popular and olden form of comedy that is used in Indian cinema. It invokes laughter through physical laughter and practical jokes. Dark comedy deals with taboo subjects, which include death, murder, suicide and war, sexual relations in a satirical manner. Spoof or parody films deal with a comedy that satirizes other film genres or classic films.

A number of films after followed suit. But in most of the films comedy was a part of other genres. But it must be noted that both actors and actresses have tried their hands in this medium and have been successful. One of the most remembered comedy movie was Padosan, starring Sunil Dutt, Saira Banu, Kishore Kumar and Mehmood. Later films like Golmaal, Chhoti Si Baat and Khoobsurat made this genre quite popular. Humor was no longer used as comic relief but it had established itself as a genre in the Indian film industry. Actors like Amitabh Bachchan also explored this field with films like Chupke Chupke, Amar Akbar Anthony, Namak Halal and others.

With changing times the definition of comedians changed. Today the lead actors are frequently seen in our and out comedy movies. Amol Palekar, Rekha, Moushumi Chatterji, Kamal Hassan, Paresh Rawal, Kader Khan, ShahRukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Akshaye Khanna, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Hema Malini, Sridevi, Anil Kapoor, Juhi Chawla, Rani Mukherjee, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Govinda, Karisma Kapoor and others. But one of the timeless actors who had made humor, talk-of-the-town, is Utpal Dutt. In the films of Hrishikesh Mukherjee he redefined humour to an all new degree.

Contemporary film directors like David Dhawan and Priyadarshan brought back the comic genre. Most of Dhawan`s films have Govinda, Salman and Karisma in the lead. While his films were termed slapstick comedies they went onto be accepted and appreciated by the audience. Haseena Maan Jayeegi, Jodi No. 1, Hero No.1, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge, Partner and many more are credited to David Dhawan. Priyadarshan is one of the most popular directors in Indian cinema. A versatile director he has made films in several languages and genres. His first Hindi comedy film was Muskurahat with Amrish Puri and Revathy. His later films were Hera Pheri, Hungama, Hulchul, Phir Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiya, Garam Masala and others. In the recent times, however, there are films coming out which belong to the dark comedy and parody genre. Film like Delhi Belly is a prime example of a parody or spoof comedy.

Deya Neya, Shaare Chuattor, Ogo Bodhu Sundari, Chaddobeshi, Golpo Holeo Sotti and Dhonnyi Meye are some of the comic Bengali films. Ashi Hi Banawabanawi, Pachadlela, Shejari-Shejari, Dhamal and others are the Marathi comedies. Some of the popular faces in South Indian Comedy films are Vivek, Santhanam, Ali and many others.