Eena Meena Deeka is a fascinating glimpse into the world of Indian screen comedy peopled by known as well as once important but now forgotten comedians who helped evolve the genre from its first slapstick beginning to the polite comedies of manners aimed at the urban middle class. The comedian or vidushak has always been an indispensable aspect of the Indian dramatic tradition. Comedy or hasya is one of the nine rasas as defined in Bharatmunis Natyashastra. It was therefore natural for Indian cinema to readily imbibe this aspect of the dramatic tradition with the first Indian comedy directed by Dadasaheb Phalke making its appearance as early as 1913.The book traces the evolution of the genre from Dhirendranath Ganguly the first recognized filmmaker comedian who made comedies on a regular basis to the true godfather of the Indian comic art Noor Mohammed Charlie who along with his contemporaries Dixit Ghory and Kesari set the comic pace through much of the 1930s and 40s and much of what was to follow.The 1950s and 60s were truly the golden era of Indian film comedy with Johnny Walkers antics Jagdeeps rolling eyes Johars sardonic wit Om Prakashs miserliness Radhakrishens shrill high pitched comebacks Mukris playing to the gallery. The list is endless. The icing on the comic cake was of course Kishore Kumar who eventually sacrificed his comic talent to emerge as a star singer and the inimitable Mehmood whose penchant for the bittersweet has made him an unforgettable icon.