Laughter, they say, is the best medicine. That would make Johny Lever a qualified doctor par excellence. Thirty years on, hundreds of shows and movies later and he can still get an audience into a jolly good mood with his jokes, mimicry skills and his stand-up comedy routines. He has travelled the world entertaining thousands and his face is one of the most recognised of Bollywood artists.
When I sit down to interview him, he looks a bit worse for wear having just flown in the morning from Mumbai, his hometown. "I have just arrived a few hours ago. I don't usually look so tired," he drawls with a customary roll of the eyes.
"I love miming actors and I began doing small time shows around Mumbai," he starts off. "My act got the attention of Kalyanji-Anandji, at one time Bollywood's most popular composer and music duo. They were keen to take on a talented mimic like me and that's how I ended up touring the world with them.
"I worked alongside Amitabh Bachchan, which was thrilling. My life in films began as early as 1981."
Lever is one of the most popular comedians in India and surely he must have a lot of demands on his time. "I was called to judge the finale of the Great Indian Laughter Show, and I have to say there is a lot of talent out there. But it does take hard work too. If you have the talent to do stand-up comedy, then go for it, if not, then get lost. Stand-up comedy is a talent one is born with and there is no way it can be acquired. If I don't get enough new material, I don't do shows like the Johny Lever Night which I took a break from a while ago."
Surely nine years is a long break from comedy, one might comment. "No, no. I continued with my other shows including stand-up routines, musical entertainment shows and mimicry. It was just the pure stand-up night shows that I took a break from. If you've seen the team Comedy Circus on TV you would see that it's easy to do good comedy as a group. But stand-up routines are the most challenging, as it's one man entertaining a crowd for at least an hour or two."
‘My Shows will go on'
Touring for ten months of a year can be exhausting and can take a toll physically. Lever adds: "Look at the American comedians such as Jay Leno and Jerry Lewis. They work well into their old age and there is no such thing as a has-been comedian. We Indians always look at an ageing star and think, that's it — he's finished. But I will keep working as much as I can. As long as there are people who love me and want to come to my shows, my shows will go on. "I'm getting better roles now with better quality scripts coming my way," he says of his film career.
Does that mean we will see more of him in the movies? "Yes, for sure! There are some good writers out there with interesting material, unlike earlier where a lot of the scripts contained crudity, something I usually avoid. We have to add value to our movies. If a director wants something really funny, he knows he can count on me to deliver good quality fun."
There's no doubt people love him. Younger comedic actors and mimics look up to him and want to be like him. "I have taken many younger comedians on tour with me, giving them a chance to get better at their craft."
‘Know your limitations'
"It's purely about talent and hard work. My advice to up-and-coming comedy stars would be to know your strengths and your limitations. I had a friend who was a very good tailor. When he saw my success as an actor and wanted the glamorous life for himself, he sold his shop and tried his hand at acting. It was a disaster. Today he is nothing. His talent was in tailoring and he should have stuck to that while trying out his acting skills.
"You know that life today is quick. It's all about quick money, fast cars and a faster lifestyle. Young people are impatient. But nothing can take the place of an honest day's labour to get to the top of your game. Use your God-given talent to make the most of your skills. If the talent for acting is not there — don't bother trying, I say.
"And before you ask me about that 1987 event of me being incarcerated for the national anthem incident — I would like to say I've moved on, so please can you do that too? It's in the past and that's where I'd like it to stay," he adds, referring to a notorious performance in Dubai which caused him much grief when he returned to India.
Lever has also tried to make a difference and to give back to the film society. "As president of the Cineta association, I have made it my mission to look after the well-being of senior actors who are left in the lurch or young actors who are being taken advantage of," he says, with a typical roll of his eyes. "And that's no laughing matter, you know."
