In his career spanning multiple decades, Johnny Lever has been successfully able to make his audience laugh with his comedy and mimicry. He has also worked with several acclaimed artists be it senior actor Dharmendra, King Khan Shah Rukh Khan, action hero Akshay Kumar or veteran star Govinda. In a recent interview, he shared his experience of working with them.
Johnny Lever says Dharmendra is down-to-earth while Govinda is his favourite
A while ago, Johnny Lever sat with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia for a candid chat. While sharing multiple anecdotes about his life, he spoke about the daring and talented artist Dharmendra. Explaining how strong and witted he was, the Coolie No.1 actor divulged, “Dharam paji bahut daring wale hai. Jo real me hai waise he bahar bhi hai. Vo kisi se darte nhi hai. Boht achey insaan hai, both down-to-earth. Sar phira na toh vo dekhta nhi hai, vo de daalta hai kyunki vo jatt aadmi hai. Unke kissey hai. (Dharam paji is very daring. He is the same in reel and real life. He isn’t afraid of anyone. He is very good and very down-to-earth. Once he gets mad then he can’t keep calm. He is a Jatt. There are stories of him).”
Sharing one such story of the senior actor, the comedian continued, “Mujhey ek ne kissa sunaya k lift me jaa rahe they, ek banta baitha tha and bola, ‘Dharmendra hai kya? Mujhey toh yakeen nhi aaraha.’ Dharam paji ne kuch nhi kiya, ek diya rakh ke. ‘Ab yakeen aaya?’ Aur chale gae. Toh ek he Dharam paji hai aur ek Vinod Khanna. Ye log real daring baaz they. Ye log darte nhi they. Lekin baad me unko court aana jana pada. Fir unko lagay ye kya musibat paal li hai maine. Ek age me insaan ho jata hai but humey suit nhi karta. (Someone told me that he was in a lift and a man was sitting who said, ‘Are you Dharmendra? I can’t believe it.’ Dharam Paji did nothing but give him one tight bashing. He said, ‘Do you believe now?’ and went away. So, there’s one Dharam Paji and there was another Vinod Khanna. They were bold. People used to fear them but he (Dharmendra) had to visit court multiple times. Then he thought what have I gotten into? It all happens at an age but it doesn’t suit me.),” the actor giggled.
When asked if he’s in touch with people with whom he worked in the past, Lever said that he met Dharmendra very recently. “I am a fan. I have watched Phool Aur Patthar 15 times.” On being quizzed if he is on talking terms with Govinda, the Cirkus actor said, “Kabhi Kabhi milte hai humlog. Mera favourite hai Govinda. 1985 me humlog Love 86 kiye they. Humne saath me both acha kaam kiya. Maina zyada kaam enjoy Govinda k saath he kiya. (We meet sometimes. He’s my favorite. We worked together in the year 1985 in Love 86. We did a really great job together. I enjoy a lot while working with Govinda).”
Johnny Lever’s work front
Often regarded as one of the first comedians in India, Lever started his career by playing a small role in the 1981 film Yeh Rishta Na Tootay. Since then, he has worked in more than a hundred movies. Some of his hit films are Tezaab, Khiladi, Baazigar, Karan Arjun, Raja Hindustani, Boss, Entertainment, Housefull 4, and many others. He will be next seen in Welcome To The Jungle.
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