#WorldLaughterDay: How to tell a good joke is an art, says Supriya Pathak

Time of India

04-05-2025

While Hansa,
's character in the
franchise, remains one of the most memorable comic characters on Indian television, Pathak surprises us when she says, 'I am not a good joke teller at all.
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Every time I tell a joke, it falls flat.
How to tell a good joke is also an art, not everyone can crack it.' On
, the veteran actress talks about why playing Hansa was tough, and why she feels doing good comedy 'is the toughest job.' Excerpts:
'What Charlie Chaplin did was extremely difficult'
I feel doing comedy is the toughest job. An actor can use glycerin and cry to convince the audience of a sad emotion. However, making someone laugh is extremely difficult. As an actor, if I am having fun while playing a character, then the audience will enjoy it too. In my latest Gujarati film (
), while it's not an out-and-out comedy, there are fun moments and I enjoy playing such characters.
While doing a comic scene, if even one actor messes up the comic timing, the joke falls flat. I feel when it comes to comedies that have double meaning jokes, it's not difficult for actors. But slapstick is tough; what Charlie Chaplin did was extremely difficult. There are a lot of shades in comedy.
'Initially, creating Hansa's character was a bit difficult'
Hansa has always been a people pleaser, isn't it (smiles)? I love Hansa, and it (playing her character) has been a fabulous journey.
Before I started playing that character, preparing for it was a bit difficult. Hansa literally does nothing, and whenever she does anything, she creates a mess. So, how do you make her interesting for the audience? I had to work hard to make Hansa such an innocent person that the audience would believe in her.
I am grateful that her innocence was accepted by the audience. I tried to ensure that Hansa comes across as a lovely, child-like person, like a loving baby.
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In real life, if a woman of Hansa's age behaves like that, you will probably slap her (laughs)! But I think we managed to create the kind of innocence that made audiences accept her whole-heartedly.
Supriya Pathak with her actress-daughter Sanah Kapur
'Sanah's classmates would tease her in school, saying-Teri mom toh Hansa hai'
When Sanah (her daughter) was young, her classmates in school would tease her, saying, 'Teri mom toh
Hansa hai, unn ko toh kuch nahi aata. What do you guys eat? We are sure she doesn't even know how to cook.' It was quite funny because I am exactly the opposite in real life- a complete workaholic who is an expert at all household chores. Sanah would get very angry and tell them, 'No, my mama is not like that! She is a fabulous cook.' I am glad that the character found that kind of connect with the audience.
Supriya's favourite comedies:
Charlie Chaplin's films, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, Laurel and Hardy's films, Films of Marx Brothers, Khichdi, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai