The Laughter King

Johnny Lever in action

For someone who has been successfully tickling almost every common (and not so common) man’s funny bone, actor Johnny Lever is not new to the stand-up comedy scene. While his comic timing was appreciated by the audience at local shows in Mumbai, the veteran artist rose to fame with his extremely popular series of cassettes named Hasee Ke Hungaame, released in the early 80s, which helped him reach beyond the boundaries of the city and within days, these cassettes were sold out. At a time when being a stand-up comedian wasn’t really considered a profession and such artists were referred to as “woh toh mimicry karta hain,” he was among the first individuals in India to start off the trend of live comedy shows. Hundreds of people would throng to their nearest venue and enjoy a two-hour long laugh-a-thon, where Lever would perform a variety of acts ranging from mimicry to jokes based on general issues. And who can forget the popular Michael Jackson act, where Lever would imitate the pop star, while matching footsteps with the drums playing in the background, amidst thunderous cheers. “But then films happened and I got busy with one project after another, which gave me very little time to focus on stage shows. It’s not fair to juggle two things and not give your 100 per cent to what you are doing. So, I continued my stint in Bollywood and the number of shows eventually went down by the early 90s,” stated Lever, who is back in the spotlight after 16 years with his latest stage offering, Johnny Lever Live.
The two-and-a-half-hour show, which kickstarted three months back, promises to offer everything that a fan of good humour and those who have always loved Lever’s comic timing could ask for. The last show at National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai saw a full house, with the box office flaunting a sold out sign a few days before the main day. The artiste has already conducted successful shows in Mumbai, Chennai among other cities and is slowing inching towards the silver jubilee show soon this year. “Thankfully, I got a good, long break from films to work on fresh acts. For any good show, you need lots of masala, entertainment, good observation of the people you are impersonating and some really humourous lines to make sure that your audience does not move from their seats. So apart from the new acts, we have included a few old ones, like the Michael Jackson piece, which is always high on demand,” mentioned Lever, who added that apart from Indian cities, the team is also getting show requests from United States of America and Canada among other countries. “The response has been overwhelming, but I am not overdoing it. Kaam aaramse karunga, kyunki mujhe apni family ko bhi dekhna hain,” he quipped.
Interestingly, his daughter Jamie, a budding stand-up artist, also performs a 15-minute act in between the show. “Of course I feel proud of her, but I had my inhibitions. She got attracted to stand-up comedy during her stay in London and was actually studying to get a job in the business field. During a show abroad, I gave her the chance to perform for 10 minutes and she got a standing ovation for it. I suggested that she opt for a job, while pursuing stand-up as a hobby but she insisted on switching careers, eventually auditioned for Comedy Circus and that too, without using my surname. Talent is god’s gift and I didn’t want to stop her. Aaj log show dekhke bolte hain, Johnnybhai, aapki ladki aapse dus guna aage jaane waali hain,” stated Lever, who adds that Jamie sings well and is working on fusing her skills in one of her acts. Apart from Jamie, comedian Gaurav Sharma performs a few acts, while writer Kiran Kotrial presents the show.
Keeping in mind his target audience, the artiste adds that each of his acts end with a social message, which is presented in a line or two to create a solid impact. “But it’s not preachy. We spread the message while making them laugh,” adds Lever. Ask him if the increasing trend of comic acts with toilet humour and SMS jokes bother him, Lever promptly replies, “The kind of humour liked by the audience has witnessed a major change over the years and television shows like The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Comedy Circus among others have played a key role in this development. Today, people prefer shorter acts and are more open to double meaning jokes. I am fine if other artists choose that route, but I am personally not comfortable in that space. My shows cater to families and I like presenting acts that deal with things that are happening around us and stuff that affects everyone. There is so much of masala and diversity in India and the mannerisms of each individual is so unique. So, it’s the desiness that helps my show stand out. My job is to make people laugh and not cringe while saying, ‘arey bacchon ke saamne isne yeh kya bol diya‘.”
His signature style of comedy is helping him earn younger fans as well, who until last year had only heard stories about his insanely humorous shows of the 80s. Lever stated that during a recent performance, a compliment left him feeling extremely proud. “This man walked up to me and introduced his son, saying, ‘Johnnybhai, jab hum aapka show pehle dekhte the, tab yeh baccha uski maa ke pet mein tha. He has grown up watching your films and we made sure that he watches you perform live. Just like us, he is in love with your performance’. I feel proud to see people from 7 to 70 enjoying the show, which is an honour,” mentioned Lever, who signs off while saying that the only thing that tops his priority list is to make people laugh till he is around. “Bas logon ko hasaate jaana hain, hamesha” he quipped.