Chacha Chaudhary
Encyclopedia
Chacha Chaudhary is a popular India
n comic book
character, created by cartoonist Pran
. The comic comes in ten Indian languages including Hindi
and English
and has sold almost ten million copies. Chacha Chaudhary has also been made into a television series with Raghuvir Yadav
playing Chacha.
. It soon became popular among kids and the elderly alike.
According to a Diamond Comics
Press Release the Indian kids in the age group 10–13 years ranked Chacha Chaudhary as their most recognizable comic book character.
Chacha Chaudhary has also been featured as a guest in other Diamond Comics
series, with Billoo
and Pinki
, Lucky.
is a term used for big landlords or the most honorable, elderly or a respectable person in small villages or towns in India for various communities like jats, khatris, gujjars, ahirs
, brahmins (in bengal
and bihar
regions).
Chacha Chaudhary's attire includes his red turban
, a wooden stick, a waistcoat
with a double inside pocket, and a pocket watch. His household consists of his wife Bini (Chachi), a faithful street dog called Rocket and a giant called Sabu.
Chacha Chaudhary enjoys eating watermelon with relish, and takes off for a walk with Sabu and Rocket, whenever Chachi nags him.
Everybody in town knows that whenever Chacha Chaudhary goes out with his family, he never locks the door of his house but nobody could have been successful in robbing the house.
Sometimes Chacha Chaudhary's head or nose itches when any trouble is going to happen.
Chacha's characterization, like other Pran's characters, is around middle class typical Indian metro surroundings of the 1970s and 1980s, and it has kept evolving. The usual villains are corrupt government officials, thieves, roadside goons and bullies, tricksters and cons and local thugs. Chacha Chaudhary not only fights them off and helps the common man but also teaches them moral lessons and good behavior. Most of the events end up with goons embarrassed of their deeds. One can see the middle class dealing with everyday's problems. In a way Pran takes a whip at those problems but still maintaining a happy go lucky feel with twinkling eyes and smiling faces.
Chacha's intellectual superiority is often acknowledged throughout the comics using the following special mention - "Chacha Chaudhary ka dimaag computer se bhi tez chalta hai" meaning Chacha's brain is faster than computer.
, always faithful to Chacha and provides the physical strength in time of need. He is huge and strong, about 15 feet tall. In some comics he is able to increase his size. He wears only a wrestler's kachha (briefs), a pair of ear-rings and a pair of gum-boots.
Sabu decided to stay at Earth
with Chacha Chaudhary when he tasted delicious paratha
and halwa made by Chachi during his visit to earth. Sabu has a twin brother called Dabu and the giant earrings that Sabu wears had been gifted to him by his mother when he left Jupiter. According to the comics, whenever Sabu gets angry, a volcano erupts at some distant place(this is stated in a panel with a picture of a volcano erupting, which says, "When Sabu is Angry, a Volcano Erupts at some distant place"). Whenever he performs an act of great strength, he utters the cry, "Hu-Huba!". Sabu eats 108 chapati
s at a time, 12 kilos of halwa and about 20 litres of lassi
in one meal. He is not married, and avoids the topic. Sabu has little brain for his size seems to follow instructions obidiently and is never seen using whatever little brain he has.
Sabu's biggest enemy is Raka, who is of the same size as that of Sabu.
ted sari
and has a hair style matching 70s' style of Indian actresses. Although very kind hearted with all the attributes of a strict but caring wife, she often complains Chacha of not buying her gold bangles and she has to cook for Sabu although she serves as a mother figure for Sabu. In one comic she is shown with stirring a giant pot with a ladle
for Sabu and serving him more affectionately than Chachaji.
by aliens mistaking him as Chacha Chaudhary.
Many a times Chacha Chaudhary has beaten Raaka and forced him to shave off his moustache as a result of some competition which Chacha has won. Chacha's comic with Raaka, Raaka ki waapsi (The Return of Raaka) is one of the best selling comics of Diamond Comics
. Apparently Raaka was put to sleep by some potion given by a saint from the Himalayas and buried in the ocean the first time. On his return by another potion he was reduced to a small size, closed in a bottle and buried in a grave. But this was not the end. He returned several times again to wreak havoc in the city.
Finally Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu buried him in an endless hole somewhere near a rocket launch site.But for the last time he was sent to the planet of Zalubar by a rocket.
. This is similar to Asterix and Obelix where Asterix
is a little guy and Obelix
is big and incredibly strong, but slightly slow on the uptake. There is some degree of similarity between Chacha Chaudhary and Asterix, wherein both do not have any extraordinary physical power and use their wits to get around situations. Sabu, on the other hand, does demonstrate that his tremendous muscle power is without the brains to apply it properly, analogous to Obelix. However, it cannot be said that there is any major similarity between the two comics, since Asterix has a common theme of outwitting the Romans, whereas Chacha Chaudhary is a very loosely-connected series, with common characters, but new settings and story lines. Moreover, Asterix and the Gauls do have a secret ingredient giving them physical superiority over the Romans, and there is no such analogue in Chacha Chaudhary adventures.
About the story and incidence: sometimes it may look as if Chacha Chaudhary by luck is rescued or the situation coincidentally save him from death and danger, but that is part and parcel of this character apart from his being faster than computer. This thing people [specially children] take it as the hilarious part of the comic.
Sabu's name bears resemblance to one-time Hollywood actor of Indian origin, Sabu Dastagir
. The image of Rex Ingram
from the movie, The Thief of Bagdad
is strongly reminiscent of Sabu's character.
, the owner of characters Chacha Chaudhary, Sabu and Pinki tied up with License India, to bring them to silver screen as animation characters.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
character, created by cartoonist Pran
Pran Kumar Sharma
Pran Kumar Sharma , better known as Pran, is one of the most successful Indian cartoonists, best known as the creator of Chacha Chaudhary .-Early life and education:...
. The comic comes in ten Indian languages including Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and has sold almost ten million copies. Chacha Chaudhary has also been made into a television series with Raghuvir Yadav
Raghuvir Yadav
Raghubir Yadav is a two-time International Award winner Indian stage, film and television actor, music composer, singer and set designer.-Biography:...
playing Chacha.
History
Chacha Chaudhary was created in 1971 for the Hindi magazine LotpotLotpot
Lotpot is a Hindi comic magazine published by Mayapuri Group of publications. 'Lotpot' title was registered by Mr.A.P.Bajaj in 1969 and first issue came out in same year and has been published without a break since then. Initially it was a fortnightly magazine which later on switched to weekly...
. It soon became popular among kids and the elderly alike.
According to a Diamond Comics
Diamond Comics
Diamond Comics Pvt. Ltd. is the largest comic book distributor and publisher in India.-Overview:Diamond Comics is responsible for popular Indian comics characters such as Chacha Chaudhary. Diamond Comics has been publishing many foreign characters comics such as Phantom, Superman, Batman,...
Press Release the Indian kids in the age group 10–13 years ranked Chacha Chaudhary as their most recognizable comic book character.
Chacha Chaudhary has also been featured as a guest in other Diamond Comics
Diamond Comics
Diamond Comics Pvt. Ltd. is the largest comic book distributor and publisher in India.-Overview:Diamond Comics is responsible for popular Indian comics characters such as Chacha Chaudhary. Diamond Comics has been publishing many foreign characters comics such as Phantom, Superman, Batman,...
series, with Billoo
Billoo
Billoo is a popular Indian comic character created by Pran Kumar Sharma. It is published by Diamond Comics. The character was created in 1973....
and Pinki
Pinki (comics)
Pinki a comics series by Diamond Comics characterizes a five years old girl. The Character of Pinki was created by Cartoonist Pran Kumar Sharma in year 1978. The comic is distributed in 10 languages. Pinki is often seen with her pet squirrel named Kut-Kut. The other notable characters in this...
, Lucky.
Biography
Chacha Chaudhary is a middle class Indian, frail but an extremely intelligent old man. The word chacha means paternal uncle in Hindi, while ChaudharyChaudhary
Choudhury is a term in Indo-Aryan languages, literally meaning "holder of four". Traditionally, the term is used as a title indicating the ownership of ancestral land, but in contemporary usage it is often taken as a surname or title....
is a term used for big landlords or the most honorable, elderly or a respectable person in small villages or towns in India for various communities like jats, khatris, gujjars, ahirs
Ahirs
Ahir is an Indian caste. The term can be used synonymously with Yadav, as the latter term refers to Ahirs who have identified as Yadavs. The major divisions of Ahirs are: Yaduvanshi, Nandvanshi, and Gwalvanshi.-Etymology:...
, brahmins (in bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
and bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
regions).
Chacha Chaudhary's attire includes his red turban
Turban
In English, Turban refers to several types of headwear popularly worn in the Middle East, North Africa, Punjab, Jamaica and Southwest Asia. A commonly used synonym is Pagri, the Indian word for turban.-Styles:...
, a wooden stick, a waistcoat
Waistcoat
A waistcoat or vest is a sleeveless upper-body garment worn over a dress shirt and necktie and below a coat as a part of most men's formal wear, and as the third piece of the three-piece male business suit.-Characteristics and use:...
with a double inside pocket, and a pocket watch. His household consists of his wife Bini (Chachi), a faithful street dog called Rocket and a giant called Sabu.
Chacha Chaudhary enjoys eating watermelon with relish, and takes off for a walk with Sabu and Rocket, whenever Chachi nags him.
Everybody in town knows that whenever Chacha Chaudhary goes out with his family, he never locks the door of his house but nobody could have been successful in robbing the house.
Sometimes Chacha Chaudhary's head or nose itches when any trouble is going to happen.
Characterization
Chacha Chaudhary is remarkably different from most other comic-book superheroes in that he is not a muscleman, nor does he have extraordinary powers. Instead, he uses his shrewd brain and presence-of-mind to fight off evil robbers and thieves. A brain sharper than a needle and faster than a super-computer, state the comic books. Chacha Chaudhary does not have state of-the-art machine guns or modern technological gadgets to fight his enemies. All he possesses is a wooden stick with which he fights evil-doers and he does it convincingly.Chacha's characterization, like other Pran's characters, is around middle class typical Indian metro surroundings of the 1970s and 1980s, and it has kept evolving. The usual villains are corrupt government officials, thieves, roadside goons and bullies, tricksters and cons and local thugs. Chacha Chaudhary not only fights them off and helps the common man but also teaches them moral lessons and good behavior. Most of the events end up with goons embarrassed of their deeds. One can see the middle class dealing with everyday's problems. In a way Pran takes a whip at those problems but still maintaining a happy go lucky feel with twinkling eyes and smiling faces.
Chacha's intellectual superiority is often acknowledged throughout the comics using the following special mention - "Chacha Chaudhary ka dimaag computer se bhi tez chalta hai" meaning Chacha's brain is faster than computer.
Sabu
Sabu is an alien from the planet JupiterJupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...
, always faithful to Chacha and provides the physical strength in time of need. He is huge and strong, about 15 feet tall. In some comics he is able to increase his size. He wears only a wrestler's kachha (briefs), a pair of ear-rings and a pair of gum-boots.
Sabu decided to stay at Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
with Chacha Chaudhary when he tasted delicious paratha
Paratha
A paratha/parantha/parauntha is an Indian flat-bread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of cooked dough...
and halwa made by Chachi during his visit to earth. Sabu has a twin brother called Dabu and the giant earrings that Sabu wears had been gifted to him by his mother when he left Jupiter. According to the comics, whenever Sabu gets angry, a volcano erupts at some distant place(this is stated in a panel with a picture of a volcano erupting, which says, "When Sabu is Angry, a Volcano Erupts at some distant place"). Whenever he performs an act of great strength, he utters the cry, "Hu-Huba!". Sabu eats 108 chapati
Chapati
Chapati or Chapatti or Chapathi is an unleavened flatbread from the Indian subcontinent. Versions of it are found in Turkmenistan and in East African countries Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania...
s at a time, 12 kilos of halwa and about 20 litres of lassi
Lassi
Lassi is a popular and traditional yogurt-based drink of the Indian Subcontinent. It is made by blending yogurt with water and Indian spices...
in one meal. He is not married, and avoids the topic. Sabu has little brain for his size seems to follow instructions obidiently and is never seen using whatever little brain he has.
Sabu's biggest enemy is Raka, who is of the same size as that of Sabu.
Bini Chachi
Chacha Chaudhary's wife Bini is a fat, dominating lady who is the boss of the house and occasionally battles the thieves with her belan (rolling pin). She is usually dressed in polka dotPolka dot
Polka dot is a pattern consisting of an array of filled circles, generally equally sized and spaced relatively closely in relation to their diameters. Polka dots are most commonly seen on children's clothing, toys, and furniture, but they appear in a wide array of contexts...
ted sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
and has a hair style matching 70s' style of Indian actresses. Although very kind hearted with all the attributes of a strict but caring wife, she often complains Chacha of not buying her gold bangles and she has to cook for Sabu although she serves as a mother figure for Sabu. In one comic she is shown with stirring a giant pot with a ladle
Ladle (spoon)
A ladle is a type of spoon used to scoop up and serve soup, stew, or other foods. Although designs vary, a typical ladle has a long handle terminating in a deep bowl, frequently with the bowl oriented at an angle to the handle to facilitate lifting liquid out of a pot or other vessel and conveying...
for Sabu and serving him more affectionately than Chachaji.
Chhajju Chaudhary
A secret that many of the characters in the comics do not know is that Chacha Chaudhary has a twin brother named Chhajju Chaudhary, who is not as gifted as Chachaji. In many stories he proves to be the secret weapon to dodge the corrupts and goons. He was once taken to MarsMars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
by aliens mistaking him as Chacha Chaudhary.
Rocket (Raaket)
Rocket is Chacha Chaudhary's pet dog. He is rather well known as raaket. The only characteristic of this dog is defined in the line "chacha choudary ka kutaa ssurrlup ssurrlup doodh peeta hai" (Chacha Choudhary's dog drinks milk) & the fact that he is the only vegetarian dog in the whole world.Enemies
Some nemeses of Chacha Chaudhary are Raaka (once a dacoit, but an immortal giant after drinking a magic potion made by Chakram Acharya), Gobar Singh (a dacoit), Dhamaka Singh, and his accomplice Paleeta and Ruldu.Many a times Chacha Chaudhary has beaten Raaka and forced him to shave off his moustache as a result of some competition which Chacha has won. Chacha's comic with Raaka, Raaka ki waapsi (The Return of Raaka) is one of the best selling comics of Diamond Comics
Diamond Comics
Diamond Comics Pvt. Ltd. is the largest comic book distributor and publisher in India.-Overview:Diamond Comics is responsible for popular Indian comics characters such as Chacha Chaudhary. Diamond Comics has been publishing many foreign characters comics such as Phantom, Superman, Batman,...
. Apparently Raaka was put to sleep by some potion given by a saint from the Himalayas and buried in the ocean the first time. On his return by another potion he was reduced to a small size, closed in a bottle and buried in a grave. But this was not the end. He returned several times again to wreak havoc in the city.
Finally Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu buried him in an endless hole somewhere near a rocket launch site.But for the last time he was sent to the planet of Zalubar by a rocket.
Similarities with other characters
Chacha Chaudhary and Sabu are a double actDouble act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
. This is similar to Asterix and Obelix where Asterix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
is a little guy and Obelix
Obelix
Obelix is a fictional character from the French comic book series Asterix. He works as a menhir sculptor and deliveryman, and is Asterix's best friend. Obelix is noted for his fatness, the menhirs he carries around on his back and his superhuman strength...
is big and incredibly strong, but slightly slow on the uptake. There is some degree of similarity between Chacha Chaudhary and Asterix, wherein both do not have any extraordinary physical power and use their wits to get around situations. Sabu, on the other hand, does demonstrate that his tremendous muscle power is without the brains to apply it properly, analogous to Obelix. However, it cannot be said that there is any major similarity between the two comics, since Asterix has a common theme of outwitting the Romans, whereas Chacha Chaudhary is a very loosely-connected series, with common characters, but new settings and story lines. Moreover, Asterix and the Gauls do have a secret ingredient giving them physical superiority over the Romans, and there is no such analogue in Chacha Chaudhary adventures.
About the story and incidence: sometimes it may look as if Chacha Chaudhary by luck is rescued or the situation coincidentally save him from death and danger, but that is part and parcel of this character apart from his being faster than computer. This thing people [specially children] take it as the hilarious part of the comic.
Sabu's name bears resemblance to one-time Hollywood actor of Indian origin, Sabu Dastagir
Sabu Dastagir
Sabu Dastagir was a film actor of Indian origin—although he later took American citizenship. He was normally credited only by his first name, Sabu, and is primarily known for his work in film during the 1930s-40s in Britain and America.-Early life:Born in 1924 in Karapur, Mysore, Kingdom of...
. The image of Rex Ingram
Rex Ingram (actor)
Rex Ingram was an American stage, film, and television actor.-Early life and career:Born near Cairo, Illinois on the Mississippi River, Ingram's father was a steamer fireman on the riverboat Robert E. Lee...
from the movie, The Thief of Bagdad
The Thief of Bagdad (1940 film)
The Thief of Bagdad is a 1940 British fantasy film produced by Alexander Korda, and directed by Michael Powell, Ludwig Berger, and Tim Whelan, with contributions by Korda's brothers Vincent and Zoltán, and William Cameron Menzies...
is strongly reminiscent of Sabu's character.
Adaptation
In 2009, Diamond ComicsDiamond Comics
Diamond Comics Pvt. Ltd. is the largest comic book distributor and publisher in India.-Overview:Diamond Comics is responsible for popular Indian comics characters such as Chacha Chaudhary. Diamond Comics has been publishing many foreign characters comics such as Phantom, Superman, Batman,...
, the owner of characters Chacha Chaudhary, Sabu and Pinki tied up with License India, to bring them to silver screen as animation characters.