Laughter is the best medicine for wounded hearts, says Rajiv Mehra director of the new sitcom "LOC (Life Out Of Control)" that began telecast last week on Star Plus.

"LOC", which features a Pakistani waiter and an Indian cook warring and working together in an Indian restaurant in London, has dialogues cutting jokes on touchy India-Pakistan subjects.

In the first episode, the Indian cook told the Pakistani waiter: "You Pakistanis are habituated to retreat. First in 1965, then 1971 and finally Kargil"(a reference to the wars the two countries fought).

Is it right to politicize parody? Rajiv Mehra has no problems whatsoever with deriving humour from the traditional conflict between the two countries.

"Why should we continue to be touchy about relations between the two countries? And isn't laughter a very good cement for wounded hearts?"

Mehra refuses to target his humour at Indian audience alone. "I think Pakistani audiences should learn to take a joke at their own expense.

"In forthcoming episodes you'll see barbs aimed at Indian politics and people. It's all done in a mood of jest, no offence meant and hopefully no harm done."

"I think the television soaps have reached a saturation point. We need a break for laughter," he says.

"In fact," nudges Rajiv, "our sitcom 'Office Office' was what I'd call the resurgence of laughter. And now 'LOC' only builds on that mood of hilarity that I believe has somewhere been forfeited in the rush for the soaps."

Pointed out that "Office Office" wasn't seen by too many people in spite of its sparkling humour, Mehra demurs, "Agreed Sab TV doesn't have the reach of Star Plus, but I haven't come across a single rickshawallah or socialite who hasn't seen 'Office Office'. So I don't know how the TRP system works."

Mehra is currently in the process of putting together another serial, "This time a soap. It will be strong drama, though not a saas-bahu conflict, please!"

The director seems to believe that the future of entertainment is as much in cinema as on television. "We can afford to look at the home-viewing medium as a poor cousin of cinema at our own risk. Television is very, very important," says Mehra.

The Mehras, father F.C. Mehra and sons Umesh and Rajiv, have been in the movie and television business for many decades.