Mumbai, Aug 30 (TIWN) Raaj Shaandilya, who is making his directorial debut with the film "Dream Girl", featuring Ayushmann Khurrana, says that critics and intellectuals have never treated comedy films with deserving respect.

"I think in the entertainment business, the comedy genre has always been treated as a second-class citizen. Show me how many comedy films have got a National Award? When it comes to writing, comedy is tough to write and it is actually a serious business, but we are never given due credit. People tend to think that anyone can do comedy. What they forget is that using sense of humour in a useful way to entertain people is very tough," Raaj told .  Giving an example of the icon Charlie Chaplin, he added: "He is the guru of comedy but look at the kind of appreciation he has got. After working for 25 years, he became the icon that he is. He got an Oscar award, when people gave him a standing ovation for 12 minutes. You know why? Because he entertained people for years after years and they believed that he deserved the award he won."