A jamoora or jamura ( Hindustani: जमूरा or جمورا) is a performer who plays a specific type of

sidekick A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...

role in the traditional folk theatre (such as

bhand Bhānds (Devanagari: भांड; Urdu: بھانڈ, Gurmukhi: ਭੰਡ) are the traditional folk entertainers of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal. In India and Nepal, the Bahand are now an endogamous Muslim community, which is no longer ...

and

tamasha Tamasha ( mr, तमाशा) is a traditional form of Marathi theatre, often with singing and dancing, widely performed by local or travelling theatre groups within the state of Maharashtra, India."Tamasha", in James R. Brandon and Martin Banham ...

) of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. In the course of the performance, the ''jamoora'' is supposed to comply with every command given by his master (usually called the ''ustad'', but sometimes called the ''

madari The Madari are a Muslim community found in a North India. They are a community of Muslim Faqirs.People of India Hayana, Vol. XXIII M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia (Eds.), pp. 335–375 Manohar Publications See also * Madariyya (Sufi Tariqa) * Shat ...

'' or ''jadoogar'' for magic shows), but often demonstrates subtle deviations from them to make satirical points or create a humorous effect. Shows involving ''jamooras'' are often two-person performances and are usually called ''ustad-jamoora'', ''

-jamoora'', ''ustad-bachha'' (''bachha'' means ''child'') or ''madari-chela'' (''chela'' means ''follower''/''student'') shows.

Connotations

Because the ''jamoora'' is expected to demonstrate unquestioning obedience to the master's directives, sometimes people or organizations who are believed to be acting as puppets for others are pejoratively called ''jamooras'' in Indian and Pakistani society.

References

Performing arts in India Performing arts in Pakistan Theatre in India {{India-culture-stub