Comedy, one of the most dramatic forms of theatre, has enticed mankind for centuries. Be it the unsung tales of witty emperors or chronicles of tragedy and satyr; theatre indeed evolved with the transformation of society. Resonating with dark humour, the dawn of modern era has given rise to numerous artistes portraying the illusion of freedom with passion. The synthesis of emotions, memories and desire into tangible existence is what this art form is all about. Revolutionising theatre in the age of irony, comedians like Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and George Carlin have created some of the best works in history by blending in philosophy with comedy. “Well, the best art comes from a culture in decline,” said Amercian actor-comedian Rob Schneider who was in town on Thursday as part of the Black Dog Comedy Evenings. Known for his brilliance in comedy and character portrayal, the Emmy nominated actor has surpassed all expectations with his performances. In conversation with City Express, the comedian shows us his serious side and talks to us about his views on globalisation, art and cinema.When did you first realise you had a flair for comedy? Well, I don’t know if I had a flair for comedy but I knew people would laugh at me all the time unintentionally. And, I remember thinking this is not such a bad feeling. Also I think it had a lot to do with my upbringing. My dad was a Jewish German and my mom was from Philippines. With different cultures coming together, it made for a more than interesting comedic soup for me. Comedy is almost like a language and has to pretty much work in the frontal lobe of your brain. At first you love everything. And, as your exposure to a certain kind of work increases you tend to get a little critical. And, then you start to develop a certain taste. It is also important to understand and know how far to take things; to know what to do and develop common sense. And of course, not let the structured side of the brain take too much of the creative side and vice versa. It has to be a yin and yang.Do you think cinema has lost its lustre today?Yes and no. I think it comes and goes in waves. And, I think Hollywood is trying to become such a big business and is tending to bend towards a cinematic McDonalds. The worse that could happen when it comes to comedy is a repetitive and boring routine. What are your thoughts on world cinema?Well, globalisation of cinema plays a very pivotal role and is absolutely essential. However, I also think that commercialisation can be a hindrance to innovation in the long run. World cinema is definitely catching on. Indian actors are venturing into Hollywood now and I think that is fantastic. Also, there are some brilliant and important works coming from Iran. And, at the same time we now hear warmongering happening for Iran again. The whole idea that we can go to war with innocent people just sickens me. It has just transformed into an industry of death. You know power can be very addictive and I am glad that the entire American military empire is waning. Historically, they will be able to look back and say it lasted for 65 years. And I’d say good riddance. Well, the best art comes from a culture in decline. Do you think art instills a sense of hope or does it open a whole new dimension of escapism?I think it does many things including escapism but it is no way limited to that because even if you focus on something that is dark and horrible you still shed some light on it. Even if something is racist. If you expose it and are able to show it for what it is, which ultimately boils down to ignorance, then atleast you are putting things in perspective. At the same time you run a risk of hitting boredom with more information. So you have to find a way to make it more interesting and tell a story that people can relate to. And I think it is enlightening. Suffering has no borders or nationality it only exists as a consequence of a selfish paradigm. It ebbs and wanes. And, art has the ability to illuminate but I think what is important is that we are coming out of a darker time. Today, we have more global conflicts with respect to fossil fuel, energy demands, increasing population, etc. And, I think the biggest threat to democracy, freedom and peace is capitalism. The unbridled pursuit of wealth at all costs which eventually boils down to selfishness. Do you think mankind will ever find peace?There’s a beautiful game in Hinduism that sums it up for me. It is a game of dice and sticks which ultimately proves that there’s just enough evil or bad to give good a run for its money or to make the game worth a gamble. So this shows that there’s a universal design that exists to test us. And ultimately you realise it is all about acceptance. This world seems to be deviously designed with our own personal growth in mind which is supposed to test you in this lifetime whether you want it to or not. And there’s something to that because at the end of the day, a million years from now the planet will be at its half life and maybe humankind is just a beautiful flu on the planet. It is indeed the magnificent expression of Gods. Our existence seems to be a series of celebrations. The most important question is what do you want. You can take desire out of that and replace it with joy and work with that. That is the definition of enlightenment. And it started here in India. There’s a saying in Sanskrit which simply translates to ‘breathe out’. You can attain enlightenment unless you choose not to recognise it.
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