Remembering Jaspal Bhatti

Jaspal Bhatti is household Indian television personality famous for his satirical take on the woes and problems of the common man. He is most well known for his television series Flop Show and mini capsules ulta pulta which featured on the national network in India in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Jaspal Bhatti (Full name: Jaspal Singh Bhatti) was born on 3rd march 1955 at Guru ki Nagri Amritsar into a Sikh Ramgharia family of Bhatti clan, got married to Ms. Savita Bhatti on 24 March 1985. He graduated from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh in Punjab, as an electrical engineer. He was famous for his street plays like his Nonsense Club during his college days. Most of these plays were spoofs ridiculing corruption in society. Before venturing out into television, he was a cartoonist for the Tribune newspaper in Chandigarh. He is a pioneer of home-made comedy on Indian Hindi TV channel Doordarshan.

His low budget Flop Show show in the early 1990s is remembered even today.His wife Savita Bhatti produced the show and also acted in all the episodes as his wife. Only 10 episodes of the show were ever produced, but the show has had a long and powerful legacy and is remembered even today. One of his co-actors Vivek Shauq has been the most successful since Flop Show days, having found a footing in Hindi cinema. Bhatti's big break in TV came when he acted and directed the popular TV series "Ulta Pulta", "Nonsense Private Limited" and "Flop Show" for the Doordarshan television network. What attracted audience to his shows was his gift of inducing humour to highlight every day issues of the middle class in India. Bhatti's satire on the Punjab Police Mahaul Theek Hai (1999) was his first directorial venture for a full length feature film in his native Punjabi language. The movie was well received amongst audience for its simple and honest humour. He played the role of Jolly Good Singh, a guard, in the movie Fanaa. He also acted as a comical college principal in Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe. What India’s leading media critic Amita Malik has to say about Bhatti’s work is Bhatti has correct style for TV, an understated, quiet humour which sinks in without shouting, and which mercilessly exposes both corruption in our every day life and the typical people, who thrive on it. The grim fact and the hard truths of our society so bitter otherwise are made so funny through the adept handling of Bhatti, that cleansing laughter is created out of common malpractices. The cartoonist, humorist, actor and the filmmaker is nowadays focusing on acting as he is getting numerous offers from Bollywood producers as a comedian. Jaspal Bhatti has now set up and is busy with a training school and studio in Mohali near Chandigarh rightly called "joke factory" which is popular and quite sought after.

Bhatti also appeared in SAB TV's "Comedy ka King Kaun" as a Judge,with actress Divya Dutta. In his latest stint, Jaspal Bhatti along with wife Savita competed in popular Star Plus show - Nach Baliye which went on air in October 2008. The couple put their best foot forward to entertain the audiences with their dancing as well as comic skills. After several years now, Bhatti is shortly launching a new 52 episode comedy series entitled "Thank You Jija Ji" on Sony's family entertainment channel, SAB TV. Bhatti, along with wife Savita is busy conducting auditions these days for his new comedy series. The serial will be shot at his own MAD Arts film school at Chandigarh. Bhatti at a recent carnival at Chandigarh has put up a stall displaying various vegetables, daal (pulses) and Oils. The onlookers are invited to throw ring around them to win these costiler goods as prizes to poke fun at the government's failure to control inflation. Play the game and Win Vegetables.

Also recently Bhatti film school’s - Mad Art’s animation film “Nanhi Chidiya”, on female foeticide, has won the second prize in the Advantage India organized by 1take media. The film has already won a certificate of merit at IDPA-2008 Awards in Mumbai. Mr. Bhatti was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, at the first Golden Kela Awards.

What India's leading media critic Amrita Malik has to say about Bhatti's work is Bhatti has correct style for TV, an understated, quiet humour which sinks in without shouting, and which mercilessly exposes both corruption in our every day life and the typical people, who thrive on it. The grim fact and the hard truths of our society so bitter otherwise are made so funny through the adept handling of Bhatti, that cleansing laughter is created out of common malpractices.

The cartoonist, humorist, actor and the filmmaker is now a-days focusing on acting as he is getting numerous offers from Bollywood producers as a comedian. Jaspal Bhatti has now set up and is busy with a training schooland studio in Mohali near Chandigarh rightly called "joke factory" which is popular and quite sought after.

Lately, Bhatti also appeared in SAB TV's "Comedy ka King Kaun" as a Judge,with actress Divya Dutta. In his latest stint, Jaspal Bhatti alongwith wife Savita is competing in popular Star Plus show - Nach Baliye on air since October 2008. The couple is putting their best foot forward to entertain the audiences with their dancing as well as comic skills.

Data Source: wikipedia