We are well acquainted with British funnyman Rowan Atkinson – he has created the beloved Mr. Bean after all; has carved a place in our hearts with his rendition of the classic English Idiot. What we know less about, is his talent as a standup comedian; his ability to faithfully reproduce various accents based on what are undeniably some very keen powers of observation.
This video below is uproariously funny not just because it features an Englishman sending up other Englishmen and their quirky idiosyncrasies, but also because Atkinson does a very creditable ‘Indian’ accent; something most firangs (including Russel Peters) seem to have great difficulty with. So there is a Mr. Bean-esque rendition of the archetypal Indian restaurateur in Britain that you shouldn’t miss; a little something to give you your daily dose of laughter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4LHLM4WIw0
In his costume and mannerisms he is rather clichéd, but we can give him the benefit of the doubt. Indian restaurants in the UK probably do have such strangely clad wait staff; outfits that are a bizarre mishmash of sartorial styles and regional / communal confusions.
What is deliciously watchable in this video is how well he underscores the British tendency to be become drunk and disorderly; particularly when football is somehow a part of the scheme of things. He also slyly sends up his countrymen for their inability to comprehend Indian cuisine (they do think every Indian dish is a ‘curry’); watch how the server has to explain in simple, relatable terms what items on the menu mean.
The gentle, even genteel, polite and restrained Indian is very cleverly juxtaposed with the drunken Englishmen who travel in packs, pass out, drink some more and then occasionally throw up too! He is also very funny about the restraint and tolerance with which the Indian server responds to the Englishmen’s silly attempts at humour.
Author – Reena Daruwalla
