April Fools' Day: 8 laugh out loud prank scenes in Hindi films

The first of April is celebrated as All Fools' Day across the globe. People indulge in interesting practical pranks to fool their friends, family and colleagues. However, the monotony of the day makes the task difficult. If you’ve run out of ideas, then we bring to you some great clips from Hindi films which are a great lesson in how to make a fool out of someone.

1. The Chicken Ring — Anari (1993)

One of the early films of Karisma Kapoor and the maiden foray of Telugu star Venkatesh in Hindi cinema, Anari was a commercial success. However, the protagonists weren’t the chief architects of this success. Anari boasted of two funnymen, Johnny Lever and Laxmikant Berde, who were a laughter riot, thanks to their sweet and spicy acts of one-upmanship.

When his sweets business flops, Raghu (Berde) takes to selling eggs. Bablu (Lever) hatches a master plan to disrupt this business too. He reveals to Raghu that the poultry farm owner’s diamond ring worth Rs12,000 was accidentally consumed by a chicken. Blinded by greed, Raghu and his wife ransack the eggs, only to learn later it was nothing but a prank. 

2. Aslam Bhai the aspiring star — Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (2001)

This was a classic comedy scene from Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (2001) which became a reminder of the bitter truth of the entertainment industry. Hundreds of starlets are duped by con artists who exploit their celluloid dreams. Aaj Kapoor (Snehal Dabi) promises Aslam Bhai (Johnny Lever) a role opposite Aishwarya Rai but dupes him of Rs30 lakh.  Aslam Bhai does get his revenge.

3. Chatur’s speech — 3 Idiots (2009)

In this film, fun was poked at the intelligent. Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots (2009) had Chatur Ramalingam (Omi Vaidya), a highly intelligent south Indian student, speaking in appalling Hindi. Rancho (Aamir) replaces certain words in his Teachers' Day speech and what follows sends everyone in splits.

4. Dubai dreams dashed — Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1990)

A cult classic from the 1990s, Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri was a rare film wherein the leads were played by noted villains Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor, while Jackie Shroff and Farha played the parallel leads. Father and son, Raman and Baazigar are the perfect con artists, duping both rich and poor. Promising a cruise to Dubai, Raman, Baazigar and & company sell a dummy to civilians. Instead of Dubai, the conned people end up at Madh Island in Mumbai's Malad area.

5. Divide and rule — Dulhe Raja (1998)

A laughter riot from the start to the end, Harmesh Malhotra’s Dulhe Raja is counted among the most humorous films in Hindi cinema. Raja (Govinda) makes a fool out of his business rival Singhania (Kader Khan) and he devises some hilarious plans to fool the bad guys Rahul (Mohnish Behl), brothers Bishambar (Prem Chopra) and Pitambar (Rana Jung Bahadur). The three villains kidnap Singhania’s daughter Kiran (Raveena Tandon), and demand Rs10 crore as ransom. Raja not only saves Kiran, but also divides and drives the trio mad with his witty plans.

6. A spooky joke  — Ishq (1997)

A lot of the funny scenes in Ishq were forced but the film still had its LOL moments. Sometimes sheer stupidity evokes plenty of guffaws. Raja (Aamir Khan) shared a bitter-sweet relationship with Madhu (Juhi Chawla). Their skirmishes take a spooky turn when Raja scares the hell out of Madhu. It was a joke, but the mystery remains how a human could turn his head 180 degrees. Nevertheless, Madhu fell prey to the bad joke.

7. Foreign dreams shattered — Andaz Apna Apna (1994)

Never count your chickens until they are hatched. Poor Amar (Aamir Khan) learnt the hard way in Andaz Apna Apna. Out to impress a wealthy man’s daughter, Amar first boasts of his win, deriding the loser Prem (Salman Khan) after he beat him to win Raveena Bajaj’s (Raveena Tandon) heart.  A gloating Amar takes Raveena out to dinner only to realise later that the girl who he fell in love with was not the one he perceived to be. In a bid to find true love, Raveena (Karisma Kapoor) swaps identity with the poor Karishma (Raveena Tandon). Amar, who declares to all that the champagne and dinner is on him, ends up washing the dishes, while Prem has the last laugh.

8. The great escape plan — Phas Gaye Re Obama (2010)

An underrated film, Subash Kapoor’s Phas Gaye Re Obama is a great satire on the kidnapping racket. Without ruffling too many political feathers, the film sent across its message in the most subtle way. Shastri ji (Rajat Kapoor) is a bankrupt NRI (non-resident Indian) who lands in one web after another, but each time he uses his sharp brain to wriggle out of trouble. While he strikes a deal with the fringe kidnappers, he needs to conjure up a cerebral plan to escape from the clutches of kingpin Dhananjay Singh (Amol Gupte). After running away from him, Shashtri ji surrenders himself, but only to ensure that it is Dhananjay Singh who grants him his ticket to freedom.