There is no end to mirth and merriment when someone is found to have fallen for a clever trick or a funny hoax.. On All Fools’ Day, we select some of our favourite hoaxes played in Hindi films over the years that left us in splits.
Parimal-Pyare Mohan hoax in Chupke Chupke (1975)
Directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Chupke Chupke, starring Dharmendra and Sharmila Tagore, is a remake of the 1971 Bengali comedy Chhadmabeshi.
Botany professor Parimal (Dharmendra) gets irked by his wife Sulekha’s (Sharmila Tagore) incessant praises for her brother-in-law Raghavendra’s (Om Prakash) intelligence. He decides to play a prank on Raghavendra and fool him. To fulfil his mission, Parimal takes up a job as a driver at Raghavendra’s house. He even persuades his friend Sukumar Sinha (Amitabh Bachchan) to play an imposter. What ensues is a hilarious mishmash of identities as Sukumar, now playing Parimal in Raghavendra’s household, falls in love with Parimal’s sister-in-law Vasudha, who suspects his motive.
Ram-Lakshman confusion in Gol Maal (1979)
Yet another Hrishikesh Mukherjee comedy, Gol Maal stars Amol Palekar and Utpal Dutta alongside Dina Pathak, Bindiya Goswami, Deven Verma and David Abraham.
Ramprasad Sharma (Amol Palekar) is a young man desperate for a job and gets a call for an interview at no-nonsense businessman Bhavani Shankar’s (Utpal Dutt) company. Bhavani has one quirk: he prefers men with a moustache, traditional family values and without hobbies. So Ram decides to change his personality in order to impress the boss. Things, however, take a comical turn when Bhavani catches Ramprasad at a hockey match. In order to save his job, Ramprasad lies about having a twin — Lakshman. How Ramprasad maintains a balance between the two personalities without getting caught forms the rest of the story.
Raveena-Karishma swap in Andaz Apna Apna (1994)
Rajkumar Santoshi’s star-studded comedy, featuring Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Karishma Kapoor and Raveena Tandon, went on to become one of the most enduring cult films of Bollywood.
Amar Manohar (Aamir Khan) and Prem Bhopali (Salman Khan) are two laidback young men with big dreams. When the duo learn that Raveena Bajaj (Karisma Kapoor), the daughter of a millionaire, is coming to India from London to find a suitable groom, they leave no stone unturned to impress her, hoping to claim a share in her father’s wealth.
On one such occasion, Amar takes Raveena out to dinner. Little does he know that Raveena has actually swapped identity with her secretary Karishma (Raveena Tandon) in order to find true love. Amar orders costly dishes on the menu along with champagne, only to find out later that he has to pay for it all. While he ends up washing dishes in the restaurant’s kitchen, Prem has the last laugh.
Bunty and Babli sell the Taj Mahal in Bunty Aur Babli (2005)
Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji took practical jokes to a whole new level as con artists Bunty and Babli in Shaad Ali’s 2005 crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli.
Rakesh and Vimmi, both hailing from small villages, find it hard to realise their dreams after being conned by other people. After meeting each other at a train station, they decide to join hands and soon become famous as con artists Bunty and Babli. While all their acts are hilarious, the most memorable among them is their attempt to sell the Taj Mahal to a foreigner couple. Bunty pretends to be the proprietor of the monument and makes Harry Epstein (J. Brandon Hill), the seventh richest man in the world, believe that he can buy the Taj as a gift for his bride. He takes him to the office of Phoolsakhi, a local politician. Babli impersonates the politician and refuses to sell the Taj to Epstein. She suggests he can lease it instead. The duo are successful in conning Epstein and run away with the money he pays for leasing the Taj.
