Talent is given by God but you should respect it by doing good work.
Johnny Lever
At times, I pity my comedian image. People start laughing seeing me even in funeral processions.
I am the opposite of other people. I don't cry when I am upset. I cry when I am happy.
My first show was in Patkar Hall next to Bombay Hospital. It was a total flop. I was so nervous standing in front of all those people that I completely froze. I forgot all my lines and the audience booed me off the stage. I realised that day that you have to earn the audience's appreciation. They aren't fools.
I speak Telugu, so learning Kannada was not all that tough.
Even a child will not listen to a faltu joke anymore.
A good role is one that moves along with the story, like 'Baazigar' and 'Kareeb' for example. Similarly, I agreed to '36 China Town' and 'Phir Hera Pheri' because my characters in both films have a graph and are significant in moving the story ahead.
In fact, I get angry when people laugh at me. I go to the airport and the ground hostess starts laughing at me when she sees me. I get irritated and ask them if I just did some comedy for them to laugh like that. But then I apologise because I know they must have remembered some movie scene that I did.
I was born a Roman Catholic but had never tried to read the Bible. Now, I ensure that I read it completely.
We lived in a slum area in the suburbs of Mumbai.
My poverty taught me a lot. If someone dies, I cannot cry as I have seen so much hardship and death. I went to shoot even the day my dad had died. Death is reality.
I am a very sensitive person, I cannot bear to be rude to others.
Stand-up comedy is a different game all together. You have to improvise on the spot if you feel that the audience isn't enjoying your performance. In a movie or serial, you are in a situation while on stage you create a situation.
Often my friends point out that I haven't contributed to a particular film at all, or my comic timing wasn't bang on. I tell them I'm human and bound to make mistakes... I hope I don't repeat those mistakes.
Comedy is a very difficult thing to do.
I do a lot of social service and I don't boast about it. I believe that if you give with one hand, the other hand shouldn't know of it. I don't believe in cheap publicity.
I don't boast about being a holy person but I know that prayer can do miracles.
I won't do roles that are dirty, full of double meaning dialogues and vulgar gestures. Though such roles had made me a star, my conscience was against doing such scenes.
For making a good comedy film, you need a good writer whose craft can be understood through the time that he takes to write his script.
I am just like any regular person. I am a fun-loving guy, which is reflected in my acting. I love to spend time with my family like any other person.
When I entered the industry in 1984, I was welcomed, no one pushed me away. I want the younger comedians to experience the same. They should feel wanted.
A good writer takes time to go in-depth into a subject and then comes out with a good script. Then it's the job of the actor and director to improvise with it and make it even better.
Johnny Walker and I were very close. My house is just next to his, we were neighbours. Some time back, he came to my place with his children and we spent some lovely moments together.
A hero has to become a comedian to do a comic role but a comedian does not have to do anything. People laugh at him anyway. Even when I attend funerals, people look at my face and laugh.
As soon as a big amount is involved, the producer looks for a bankable face. No producer will make a Rs 20 crore film starring Rajpal Yadav and Johny Lever, as we cannot pull an entire film on our shoulders. Yet, we do get roles.
My son had a tumour on his neck. We went for surgery but it failed because the tumour was difficult to remove. Later, we went to New York for his surgery. I was scared as his first operation had failed. I went to church and met a pastor. He told me to go ahead, God would take care of everything. And the surgery was successful.
I was interested in films since my childhood.
I studied only till class VII at the Andhra Society High School, Wadala and dropped out when I realised that education was not my cup of tea.
Even as a child I used to mimic veteran film actors of the time.
I focus on my work while some people unnecessarily complicate life.
To do comedy, there are so many hurdles one has to cross.
Standup is like shorthand. Every bit must be both brief and profound or the audience will lose interest.
In standup, you must be able to hypnotize the audience.
I want to make the kind of films that Charlie Chaplin did.
If I were to ever make a lot of money, I will invest in films.
I actually see comedy in death.
From the age of 12, I have always thought of what I can do for others. Like my father, I too have always been large-hearted.
When people see shows like 'Antakshari' or 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' they are encouraged to take part in such shows.
Ek Tappa Out' is a huge platform for the new talent and I think everyone should exploit this opportunity.
I observe people around me, interact with them and try to understand what's on their minds. I also try and include their little quirky mannerisms in my films.
Actually all artists love Gujarat because Gujaratis shower respect and a lot of love on them.
One has to accept that change is the only constant in our lives.
For artists like me nothing matters more than the audience's respect.
Comedy is more an art of body language and gestures - it is more a performance of an artist than the lines given to him/her.
You see in comedy - performance is the cake and dialogue is like the icing on that cake.
Artists like Mehmood, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan are performers... they are born in centuries.
The level of comic performance has certainly gone down over the years.
If I'm not comfortable doing something, I'll refuse the role altogether.
I am not funny in real life, but it's my work to make people laugh.
I have done many films and spoke different languages.
