The Bankelal series has been the backbone of Raj Comics’ comedy genre, which is the story of an anti-hero who keeps making new, clever but strange plans every day to kill his king Vikram Singh to become the king of Vishalgarh. But due to the king’s good luck and the tremendous virtue of Raja Vikram Singh, every effort of Bankelal fails. Mostly he gets trapped in his own tricks or unknowingly does good to the king.
The comics we’re going to review today is the Bankelal series’ Anniversary (No. 756), which is a great example of this same classic formula. The story is written by Tarun Kumar Wahi, the illustrations are by Bedi, and the veteran pair of Sanjay Gupta and Sanjay Saxena are present as comedy consultants. This team is known for creating some of the funniest moments in the world of Indian comics, and Anniversary is also one such comic that will make you laugh from beginning to end.
Detailed analysis of the plot: A celebration that turned into an uproar
The comic starts with a very funny scene. Maharaja Vikram Singh of Vishalgarh and Queen Swarnalata leave their chambers early in the morning on their wedding anniversary. As soon as they come out, the people and ministers start showering flowers on them and congratulate them. And that’s where Bankelal takes the field with his first move.
‘Heavy’ gift of bouquet
Bankelal brings a very large, almost human-sized bouquet and presents it to the king. His real intention is to bury the king under this heavy bouquet and take his life. But like every time, this time too things turn the other way. King Vikram Singh, who is famous for his potato-like body, is unable to handle the bouquet and, along with the queen, gets buried under it. Bankelal also pretends to help and jumps to save them but himself gets stuck under the same pile.
This very opening scene sets the tone of the comic—Bankelal’s mischief and his funny failure. Somehow everyone comes out, and then Prince Mohak Singh presents heeled slippers to his mother, seeing which Bankelal burns inside.
Departure to ‘Chatora Chaat Bhandar’
On this occasion of the anniversary, when King Vikram Singh thinks about what gift to give to the queen, Bankelal immediately instigates him. And then the queen immediately says that she wants to go to Chatora Chaat Bhandar and eat Golgappa and Papdi Chaat. The king, who is also fond of food, gets ready immediately. Bankelal is also happy thinking that it will be easy to go out and kill the king (and he may not even have to pay), so he fully supports this plan.
Then the royal ride begins. In two chariots, ministers, commanders, the king, queen, prince, and Bankelal come out towards Chatora Chaat Bhandar with great enthusiasm. This trip is a fun scene in itself—ministers falling on each other, and Bankelal moving forward chanting Jai of Golgappa.
Arrival and curse of Sadhu Ghoranand
The real commotion starts as soon as they reach the chaat shop. The king and all the ministers are late just to see Golgappa; everyone breaks down. Bankelal tries his new trick here too. He secretly goes to the chaat seller (Chatora) and inserts “सुं सुन सुन” and signals him to put a lot of strong chilli in the water of the king’s golgappas, so that the king keeps doing “सी–सी” and may die.
Meanwhile, when King Vikram Singh is having fun eating Golgappa, a monk Ghoranand arrives to beg. But the king is so engrossed in food that he scolds the sage and drives him away. Then what! Bankelal gets a chance. He starts making fun of the monk. He says in a dancing and singing manner, “Radhika danced in Madhuban and we danced without ghungroo,” and even when the monk’s dhoti opened, he did not stop teasing him.
Frustrated with anger, Sadhu Ghoranand curses King Vikram Singh that now he and his entire family will be attacked by man-eating vultures, who will tear them apart and eat them.
A touch of kidnapping and adventure
As soon as the curse is received, a group of very big and scary vultures suddenly descends from the sky. These vultures are accompanied by a fierce bat-witch, which looks exactly like scary bats. She directly catches Prince Mohak Singh and flies away. Now the story of the comic changes from slapstick comedy to comedy-adventure.
King Vikram Singh and his army immediately follow the witch. Bankelal also shows up, but something else is going on in his mind. He thinks, the prince is gone, now if the king also becomes a victim of vultures in order to save him, then the throne of Vishalgarh will ultimately belong to him.
Cannibal Clan and Climax
The witch picks up the prince and reaches the hideout of a cannibal clan. Sadhu Ghoranand is already present there. They are preparing to sacrifice the prince. Just then Raja Vikram Singh and his army arrive. A swarm of vultures falls upon the army and a fierce battle ensues from both sides.
‘Accidental’ heroism of Bankelal
Bankelal plans to kill the king once again in the midst of the battle. He sees that Queen Swarnalata has a magical sword. He tricks the queen into throwing the sword at the witch. His real plan is that the queen will miss the target and the sword will directly pierce King Vikram Singh.
The empress throws the sword, but instead of hitting the witch, the sword sinks into a nearby tree. At the same time, Bankelal’s horse, which was shaken by the attack of vultures, runs rapidly towards the same tree. Bankelal bounces off the horse and goes towards the tree flying in the air, and instead of falling on the hilt of the sword, falls directly on top of that bat-witch. The heavy body weight of Bankelal makes the witch unconscious.
Busted and ridiculous ending
As soon as the witch falls, all the vultures suddenly disappear. Sadhu Ghoranand and his cannibal tribe (who were actually his disciples) are captured. Then the real truth comes out—Sadhu Ghoranand was not a miraculous Baba, but a hypocrite. That curse could not do anything. All these vultures and witches (who were his disciples) were just trained, so that money could be extorted from the king by scaring him.
King Vikram Singh is once again saved (even if unknowingly) because of Bankelal. Bankelal keeps cursing his fate. And the end of the comic is the funniest. Raja Vikram Singh orders Bankelal that because he is the minister of the royal treasury, he will pay the entire bill of Chatora Chaat Bhandar. Bankelal’s face, which is trying to save money, becomes worth seeing there, and he sits holding his head.
Master of humor
Bankelal: Bankelal is in full form in this comic. He is cunning, stingy, and uses some trick every time to remove the king. But luck is always against him. His style of doing ‘hi’ and ‘ho ho’, and murmuring in his mind, is fun to read.
Raja Vikram Singh: Raja Vikram Singh is a walking example of innocence and virtuousness. He loves food and drink and loves his subjects (except Bankelal) very much. Unknowingly scolding the Sadhu and then escaping Bankelal’s “accidental” heroism, all this makes his character extremely fun.
Ghoranand: Sadhu Ghoranand is a classic Bankelal-villain. He’s not really powerful, just a pretender who acts to scare people. His anger, and then finally his entire exposure—adds a different kind of fun to the story.
Art and portraiture (artwork)
The work of artist Bedi is amazing. He has not only handled the style that became the hallmark of the Bankelal series, but has also made it even better. The comic comes to life through the characters’ expressions. Bedi has beautifully expressed Bankelal’s crooked smile, the king’s innocent face, Ghoranand’s fake anger, and the queen’s nervousness.
The vulture attacks and witch-flying scenes have become quite lively and exciting. What’s more, the drawing has made the jokes of the story even more fun. The comedy timing is so good that the stampede at the chaat shop or the opening of the Sadhu’s dhoti automatically makes one laugh after reading all these scenes.
Humor, dialogue and writer’s skill
Tarun Kumar Wahi has written a powerful and funny script for this comic. Its dialogues seem to be its life. While things like being buried under a bouquet, being thrown into the air by a horse, and being pushed in a licking line give full slapstick comedy, Bankelal’s one-liners and his inner monologue make the story more fun.
“Radhika danced in Madhuban…” — reading such absurd dialogues doesn’t stop you from laughing.
Another great feature of the comic is its irony—whatever plan Bankelal makes to kill the king, the same plan ultimately saves the king’s life.
Sanjay Gupta and Sanjay Saxena’s contribution as humor consultants is clearly visible—there is some punch in every panel and a new joke on every page.
Conclusion: A ‘classic’ Bankelal adventure
Anniversary is not just a comic, but a celebration of the real fun of Bankelal. This explains why Bankelal has always been Raj Comics’ favorite character. This comic has a great mix of humor, adventure, and a solid script.
For those who read comics in the 90s, it is a nostalgia trip, and the perfect chance for new readers to step into the world of Bankelal.
Overall, Anniversary is a must-read comic. This is an anniversary that the king of Vishalgarh might want to forget, but the fans of Raj Comics will never forget. If you are looking for pure, funny, and heart-warming humor, Anniversary is made exactly for you.
