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Journalism of Courage
8220;Main woh aaloo hoon jo sab mein mil jaata hoon,8221;says Johnny Lever his eyes popping in trademark bewilderment. With his cheery disposition and his funny one-liners, Johnny Lever is an easy man to be around with. An Anglophile camp instructor, a drunk, a butler 8212; and the comic sidekick through them all. While for some, Lever8217;s brand of comedy may be low-brow, the comedian and mimic who has added the humorous ingredient in many a Bollywood masala film has found mass appeal.
He was in town for Maitri 2000, a charity show. 8220;I still do charity shows like this one because I believe in social work. But I have reduced the number of live shows and want to concentrate on my film career,8221; he says.
Of course, one has to do what the director wants one to. But I observe other people8217;s mannerisms, grasp their idiosyncrasies and try to get in a variety in expressions,8221; he says. Although he has a written script at hand, Lever is also an old hand at ad-libbing. 8220;There are times like some shots from Baazigar when I did not even know that the camera was still rolling and kept adding my own dialogues! Kabhi batti jal jaati hain,8221; he says. For Lever, each role he performs is different. 8220;My aim is to bring in as much variety as possible,8221; says he. He does confess that unlike his celluloid avatar he is a rather sober person at home. 8220;The greatest joy for me is to make the people sitting in front of me laugh,8221; he says. And when it comes to providing comic relief, that8217;s all matters.
