Live
- NASA Tracks Five Giant Asteroids on Close Approach to Earth Today
- Pushpa 2 Hits ₹1000 Crore in 6 Days: How It Compares to Other Top Indian Films
- Vivo X200 and X200 Pro Launched in India: Price, Specifications, and Features
- Nitin Gadkari Admits Feeling Embarrassed at Global Summits Over Rising Road Accidents in India
- Comprehensive Review on Indiramma Housing Survey and Welfare Initiatives Conducted via Video Conference
- Jogulamba Temple Records Rs 1.06 Crore Hundi Revenue in 150 Days
- Opposition Slams ‘One Nation, One Election’ Bill as Anti-Democratic; BJP Allies Support the Move
- Celebrate Karthigai Maha Deepam Virtually with Sri Mandir’s LIVE Darshan Experience
- BJP Extends Support to Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan Employees' Strike, Demands Immediate Regularization and Welfare Benefits
- Dr. M. Priyanka Stresses Quality Education, Nutritious Meals, and Cleanliness in Schools
Jest is thy name- Johnny Lever
Highlights
His first stage show was in Hyderabad, at Ravindra Bharathi, when he was 17-years-old. Johnny Lever is now back in the city to appear as guest in one of his favourite stand-up comedy shows
His first stage show was in Hyderabad, at Ravindra Bharathi, when he was 17-years-old. Johnny Lever is now back in the city to appear as guest in one of his favourite stand-up comedy shows – ‘Dedh Matwale’, performed by old friends Hamed and Subhani, at the same venue. I will be back soon with my own show, he promises
Rajeshwari Kalyanam
Johnny Lever was the name he acquired on a stage, where he was doing a stand-up comedy show. From the chawls of Dharavi, he rose to be a film comedian, a not to be missed face of Hindi cinema through the 90s decade, and beyond before he decided to slow down and pick and choose his films. Even when he was extremely busy working in almost 20 films a year, he was simultaneously doing stage shows, which gave a lot of scope to showcase his creative skills and entertain people. He feels he didn’t get to do the best in films as he divided his time between films and shows. “It was doing the times of Kishore Kumar and Mehmood Bhai that was the golden period for humour in Hindi films and now again humour has made a comeback for good; I only came in for change, otherwise many would complain of the non-existent comedy in Bollywood. I also never did central role as Mehmood. I can say that those were golden for me because I was making money both from films and stage shows,” he shares in jest.
An interview with him is a rollercoaster ride filled with fun and humour. Incidentally Johnny’s family speaks Telugu at home (his mother tongue; he was born in Andhra Pradesh and continues to visit his native place for important family occasions), and is more fluent with his Hindi; but fame came from his mimicry of famous artistes and his talent of being able to speak several accents. “My talent for languages comes from the experiences of Dharavi. It is like mini-India. You even have four houses down south, where a few Sri Lankans live. I learn from observation. Language changes every 2 km in Mumbai itself and thanks to my shows I could see the several languages and dialects people speak and learnt from them. India is such a vibrant and fun place. If I had to stay in US, in no time I would run back looking for the madness and fun that is India,” he shares.
Johnny Lever came the hard way up. He sold pens on the footpath, he worked in Hindustan Lever even as he did stage shows and his father did everything to stop him, until one day he took the Rs 25,000 that he earned from shooting an ad-film. “I did an advertisement for a mosquito repellent. The director was so happy with the way I could imitate Ashok Kumar and other well known actors that he immediately paid my money. I took it to my father and said here’s the money I earned for your daughter’s wedding. And he asked – Tum karte kya ho? It took him a long time to understand that doing comedy is work too.
” Yet, when his daughter wanted to participate in a popular television show, ‘Comedy Circus’, he refused to recommend her case. “Comedy cannot be taught. It is God’s grace and the rest is hard work. If she has talent, she will come up,” he says. His daughter, Jamie Lever has today made a name for herself in the stand-up comedy scene and has also worked in the film, ‘Kis Kis Ko Pyar Karoon’. His son too has chose acting as career and is currently in an acting school. Both of them studied Masters from the US, but chose to follow my path,” says the proud father.
For a performer, who has been as busy as he was, it was a major decision to take a break, “It has to happen to everyone. I have to make way for others. Don’t I also have to do my role of a family man as well? There were times when I was doing back-to-back shoots; I was doing 2-3 shifts with Govinda alone some days. I was arriving at home so late that the kids would be asleep. “Ek din main jaldi pahunch gaya, tho mera beta dekhne laga – ye kaun uncle hain…aur yeh kyun mummy ke kamre mein jaraha hai” (laughs). Break was needed for me. Today I do probably one film a year if I like it and I show.
And I am happy with my life.”
Even as he continues to do stage shows, one wonders how he copes with the overdose of comedy on television, and jokes that circulate on social media, which have become quite a challenge for the stand-up comedians of the day, he says, “After all these years of working, when I come on stage, people expect a certain standard. And just imagine what happens when the audience realises that repeated a joke that he read on WhatsApp the other day (and he enacts the scene much to our amusement). Today, I have limited myself to a few shows and one odd film that I like. And whenever I have time, I watch YouTube videos of shows from around the world and update myself on the trends. This helps me think of what I should do for my next show that is new and innovative.” Enormous energy, spontaneity, and guile-less disposition make Johnny Lever not just a great comedian, but an amazing human being as well.
He will be appearing as guest during Hamid Kamal and Subhani’s ‘Dedh Matwale’ as they celebrate 40 years of their journey as the popular Hyderabad-based comedy show at Ravindra Bharathi on October 11
Next Story
ADVERTISEMENT
