Bollywood never gives up. Just when you thought comedies were no longer in favour, a bunch of directors are ready to unleash a fury of laughter.

This week there is Salman Khan sandwiched between the lovely Sushmita Sen and Katrina Kaif in David Dhawan's "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya".

While Priyadarshan has taken "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" hero Salman Khan and his "Hulchal" heroine Kareena Kapoor into a serious arena in the ready-for-release yet untitled film, Dhawan is content with the triangular titter-giver routine.

Dhawan's "Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya" (don't miss the hiccupping homage to Sooraj Barjatya's "Maine Pyar Kiya" in the title), which features Salman with his real-life gal Katrina Kaif and the sizzling Sushmita, is as funny as it can get. By yearend Dhawan will also be ready with "Shaadi No.1" featuring a host of middling stars on a mirth yatra.

And while Govinda has relinquished the throne of comedian number one (with his soppy melodrama "Ssukh" reversing his image from grin to grim), Akshay Kumar has clearly discovered a penchant for parody that he's currently exploiting in as many as three under-production films - Priyadarshan's "Garam Masala", Vikram Bhatt's "Deewane Huey Pagal" and Neeraj Vora's "Phir Hera Pheri". Two of these are sequels to Akshay's very successful comedies in the past.

"And why not?" Akshay says without sounding defensive. "What's wrong in making people laugh? I think it's a rare ability and one that I'm most certainly not letting go. I enjoyed doing comedy in 'Mr & Mrs Khiladi', 'Mujhse Shadi Karogi' and even 'Khakee', where I was almost the comic relief.

"These films got me maximum notice and even awards. Like Dharamji whose best films like 'Pratiggya', 'Chupke Chupke' and even 'Sholay' had him in funny parts, I don't mind doing comedy."

Neither does Priyanka Chopra who discovered her appetite for the funnies in Akshay's company in "Mujhse Shaadi Karogi" and is now flirting with the funny bone in writer-turned-director Rumi Jaffri's untitled film.

"It's a non-stop laugh riot and I love doing comedy, specially with Salman Khan who's my co-star in Rumi's film. I had some really funny moments in 'Andaaz' and 'Shaadi Karogi'. I feel making people laugh is really tough, specially for women since they aren't natural-born comedians. That's why I admire Rani Mukherjee. She's exceptionally funny in 'Bunty Aur Babli'."

Rani won't have much of a chance to be funny in her forthcoming films. But Preity Zinta is in a mirthful mode in new director Siddharth Anand's "Salaam Namaste".

Another writer-turned-director, Anees Bazmi, gets gloriously giggly in Boney Kapoor's farce-fest "No Entry", which has three big heroes - Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan and Fardeen Khan - making funny faces. Lara Dutta who stars in the film says: "I play a loud possessive Punjabi woman, like Tabu in 'Biwi No.1'. It was so out of character for me, and I had a ball."

If Bazmi's farce "No Entry" works he can release his long-delayed Govinda comedy "Hum Do Hamare Ek".

For now the ball is entirely in the comic court. Leading men and women are having a whale of a time tapping their latent satirical talent.

Anant Mahadevan who's about to launch his comedy "Do Dooni Chaar" feels it's far more difficult to make people laugh than cry.

"But when you've a talented and untried actor like Sammir Dattani as I have, the effort to generate laughter ceases to be laboured. We desperately need laughter in our lives."

That explains why Riteish Deshmukh is so much in demand in combination with his "Kya Kool..." co-star Tusshar, and in other such permutations. Sahara-Percept has just roped in Riteish to put his funny bones together with Paresh Rawal and Om Puri in a film called "Malaamal Weekly".