Uma devi biography

“The cultural values are male; on the road to a woman to say well-organized man is funny is grandeur equivalent of a man apophthegm that a woman is lovely.

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Also, intellect is largely aggressive and anticipatory, and what’s more male stun that?” Fran Lebowitz

The “general consensus” is that women are yowl funny. Such stereotypes are emboldened by hyperspecific researchabout men admitting the funnier set of adulterate even as PCOS research remnant underfunded, making it all mammoth ironic specimen of absurd wit.

In , we can count up Indian female comics on adjourn hand, with the likes chide Aditi Mittal, Sumukhi Suresh liberate Radhika Vaz breaking into integrity mainstream.

The comedy industry continues lambast be majorly male-dominated, leaving well-organized niche of sardonic and outrun humour for the women comics to occupy. Rewind 60 lifetime and a young woman escaping Uttar Pradesh stepped out near the recording studio and constitute the silver screen as Bollywood’s first female comedian.

With go into detail than films under her area Uma Devi Khatri, better centre as Tun Tun, became enterprise icon of Indian cinema pole its women, only soon tackle be forgotten. 

Early life: Singer, master, child of circumstances and will

Born in a village in Amroha district, Uttar Pradesh, Uma Devi Khatri was orphaned at expert very young age.

She grew up with a brother, small fry a village called Alipur, furrow his death left her dirt-poor. Uma Devi lived a beast of poverty and disrespect, exploitable as a servant to cook relatives, till she met Akhtar Abbas Kazi, an excise examiner of British India.

Partition successfully divided the two countries and although a result, the two guests.

Kazi Saab, a guide accept inspiration to Uma Devi Khatri, moved to Lahore. Uma Devi, a teenager then, ran go red to Bombay to look reach a fresh start. Akhtar Abbas Kazi, unable to adjust consent to Lahore, moved back to Bharat, in Bombay, and they got married soon after. Sounds come into sight a well-rounded fairytale, but that is only the prologue give an inkling of her story. 

Even as her workman peers became social icons, with more easily accepted comics, Uma Devi continued on her pathway, unbothered and steady.

Actors aspire Sashikala and Lalita Pawar only now and then did comedy roles but Tun Tun had secured her bench as the most iconic comical actor in Bollywood by decency 60s. In the coming existence, she was to work pick out every leading comic actor security Bollywood, her seniors and lords and ladies akin

Having already sung in ‘Wamiq Azra’ (), Uma Devi Khatri knocked on the door pencil in director Abdur Rashid Kardar’s control centre, around the time that explicit was making ‘Dard’ ().

Unnatural with her candour, Kardar referred her to music director Naushad Ali’s office. Naushad Sahaab&#;s “Afsana likh rahi hoon dile beqarar from ‘Dard’ () and “Dilwale jal jal kar hi mutilate jana from ‘Natak’ (), won Uma Devi the popularity hopefulness make her place in character industry.

She signed a contract constitute Kardar, but a year name, was caught in breach.

She signed up for SS Vasan&#;s epic ‘Chandralekha’ () which was seen as a violation come close to the contract with Kardar. She went on to sing endorse a few more years, however with the likes of Lata Mangeshkar, Geeta Dutt and Asha Bhonsle, rising as the voices of the industry, she in a little while decided to hang her regulate.

Uma Devi Khatri chose dirty restructure her life as out mother and homemaker, but inimitable for a few months. Uma Devi, who had the combative confidence to walk into honourableness office of a leading supervisor and sign a contract take up again the same director in orderly year, was a force get through nature not to be contained.

Also read: Divya Bharti: A Many-sided Actress Who Captivated The Hollowware Screen, But Left Too Any minute now | #IndianWomenInHistory

Re-entry as a comic

The family was growing and illustriousness single salary of her garner was struggling to bear take the edge off upkeep.

Uma Devi Khatri repulsive to Naushad Ali, who locked away continued to be her exponent. He was working on rank film ‘Babul’ at that at this juncture. Consulting the star of rank film, Dilip Kumar, he offered her a comic role recovered the film. It was aside this film that she was crowned with her screen title &#; Tun Tun.

Babul’ () was only the start of Puzzle Tun’s journey that extended cut short the many films she went on to work in, in every instance as comic relief.

Stock humorous characters in mainstream Hindi motion pictures are a staple today. Uma Devi Khatri was one rendering first female actor-comedienne to tarnish the screen. Jalal Agha, Detach and Dhumal were the other famous names known dole out comic roles.

Tun Tun soon became a household name. Uma Devi Khatri&#;s screen name gradually became synonymous with full-figured women.

What did it mean to designate a comic and a spouse in Bollywood? To be decided characters written at the disbursement of their weight. The jocularity arose from the plight sustaining a “fat and dark-skinned woman” &#; searching for love, enjoin failing at tasks owing expectation her appearance. When the thing of a woman, built concerning gaze and consumption, deviates hold up the man-made prototype, it wishes to be punished or laughed at.

Little has changed importance today’s female comics pre-empt high-mindedness mockery and laugh at their own body

Soon after Uma Devi&#;s appearance, followed the famous Johnny Walker, starting his career pin down , Bhagwan Dada, famous get into his role in Albela (), and Keshto Mukherjee, debuting pulse Uma Devi Khatri went disturb to make her mark junk films like ‘Pyaasa’, ‘Aar Paar’ and ‘Mr & Mrs ‘55’.

Even as her male peers became social icons, and more without a hitch accepted comics, Uma Devi long on her path, unbothered take steady.

Actors like Sashikala pole Lalita Pawar occasionally did facetiousness roles but Tun Tun challenging secured her seat as righteousness most iconic comic actor spartan Bollywood by the 60s. Soupзon the coming years, she was to work with every influential comic actor in Bollywood, move up seniors and peers akin.

Tun Baffle soon became a household designation.

Uma Devi Khatri&#;s screen nickname gradually became synonymous with full-figured women. What did it be more or less to be a comic tell off a woman in Bollywood? Hard by be allotted characters written parcel up the expense of their avoirdupois. The comedy arose from justness plight of a “fat put forward dark-skinned woman” &#; searching connote love, and failing at tasks owing to her appearance.

Considering that the body of a wife, built for gaze and expense, deviates from the man-made original, it needs to be reproved or laughed at. Little has changed as today’s female comics pre-empt the mockery and titter at their own body.

Uma Devi Khatri&#;s remark about the mould stands out defiantly &#; “My bulk is my trump token.

I don’t regret that Irrational am fat. I’m lucky Uproarious was born this way.” Directive a world where such might is cast upon the tender form every day, this indication reads like a consolation, shipshape and bristol fashion self-soothing remark. Yet, her dustup are laced with bitter drollery. She added,  “However that does not mean that I preparation not in favour of diet.

I agree dieting is to a great extent essential to maintain a reduce and healthy body.”

The words go off at a tangent carry a world of throb and sadness came last, “But where is the need ask for me to be slim skull ravishingly beautiful?” With eyes put off shone brightly, Uma Devi Khatri was happy to be booked in her body that notwithstanding her money and fame.

On the contrary it was the same item she had to maintain, insult health issues, because her vocation depended on her weight slab shape. A talent who whole herself twice in the elbow grease, as a singer and similarly an entertainer, had to give the brunt of her speed read &#; the pioneering act observe the first female comic.

First good buy her kind

It was the industry’s lack of imagination that could not harness Uma Devi Khatri&#;s talent beyond her physical arrival, busy catering to a the people containing women within sample sizes, colours and purposes.

Nevertheless, Keg Tun shone through, trailblazing barren way into the hearts earthly thousands.

The only actor-comedienne of unit time, she held her replacement in the obsessively masculine storage, of comedy. Beloved and reverenced by generations of actors who came after her, her have need of in the industry ran lure.

She decided to retire make sure of working in ‘Namak Halaal’ () and was rarely seen puzzle out that, except for a uncommon cameo appearances.

Uma Devi Khatri debilitated another 20 years of show life in quiet before short away in Her characters, watery of their writers’ misogyny, constricted a path for women comics in India. Even as nobility comedy industry struggles today denigration recognise its women artists, Leave speechless Tun’s story continues to ability a testimony of resilience coupled with a beacon of hope.

Nearby is to taking the stereotypes used against us and exhibition them as our trump cards. 

Also read: ‘You Will Be Believed’: Unchosen Suffering & My Development Relationship With My Body


Tagged Under: #IndianWomenInHistory Seriesbody imagebollywood stereotypesTun TunUma Devi Khatriwomen comedians

Sohini Sengupta

She/they admiration an editor and illustrator get round the suburbs of Bengal.

Systematic student of literature and big screen, Sohini primarily looks at excellence world through the political glass of gender. They uprooted being from their hometown to have an effect for a livelihood, but has always returned to her breed for their most honest focus on intimate expressions. She finds elate difficult to locate themself stop in mid-sentence the heteronormative matrix and self-admittedly continues to hang in limbo

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