Johnny Lever is a famous Indian actor and comedian. He is known as one of the first stand-up comedians in India. He has acted in more than 400 films and is considered the ‘King of Bollywood Comedy.’
Wiki/Biography
Johnny Lever was born as ‘John Prakash Rao Janumala’ on Wednesday, 14 August 1957 (age 62 years; as on 2019) in Kanigiri town, Andhra Pradesh. His zodiac sign is Leo. He grew up in Mumbai’s Raja Circle (Dharavi) area. He studied at Andhra Education Society English High School till class 7 but left his studies due to financial crisis in his family. He started working at the age of 12. Johnny started doing odd jobs like selling pens on the streets of Mumbai impersonating Bollywood stars and dancing to Bollywood stars’ songs. He also spent the early years of his life in Kota Yakutpura Hyderabad, where he learned his unique style of comedy acting.
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′ 5″
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Family, Caste & Wife
Johnny belongs to a Telugu Christian family. His father, Prakash Rao Janumala was an operator at the Hindustan Lever Ltd factory. (now Hindustan Unilever). His mother’s name is Karunamma Janumala. He has three sisters and two brothers; one of them is Jimmy Moses, who is an actor, singer, stand-up comedian and mime artist.
Jimmy Moses
Johnny married Sujatha Lever in 1984. The couple has a son named Jessey Lever (an actor and musician) and a daughter named Jamie Lever (a stand-up comedian and actor).
Johnny Lever with his family
Career
As a Stand Up Comedian
Johnny Lever works as an employee at Hindustan Lever Ltd. (now Hindustan Unilever). During that time, he began performing stand-up comedy in music shows and events.
Johnny Lever with Rekha during the show
After he gained recognition, he joined the Kalyanji-Anandji entourage. As he was earning well from stage shows, he quit Hindustan Lever in 1981. He did many shows and world tours with them; one of the big ones with Amitabh Bachchan in 1982. In 1986, he did the charity show “Hope 86,” as a filler, in front of members of the Indian Film Industry. His talent was recognized, and producer Gul Anand offered him a role in the film Jalwa, alongside Naseeruddin Shah.
In Movies
He made his acting debut with the film “Yeh Rishta Na Toote (1981).”
During one of his stage shows, Johnny was discovered by Sunil Dutt, who gave him an opportunity to work in the film “Dard Ka Rishta (1982).” His big break came with the movie “Baazigar (1993)” in the role of ‘Babulal.’
His most memorable roles are- “Chotta Chattri”, “Aslam Bhai,” “Hiralal,” “Col. Almeida, Camp Manager,” and “Pappi Bhai.” She made her Pakistani film debut with “Love Mein Ghum” in 2011. She made her debut with the 2011 Tamil film “Anbirkku Alavillai.”
He made his debut in Tulu with the movie “Rang” in 2014.
He made his Gujarati debut with the film “Pappa Tamne Nahi Samjaay (2017)” and his Kannada debut with the film “Gara (2018).”
Johnny Lever Telugu Debut-Gara
In Television
Johnny made his television debut with the sitcom “Zabaan Sambhalke.”
He played the role of ‘Johnny Utolandand’ in the 29th episode of the show. The show aired from 1993 to 1998 on DD Metro. He hosted the show “Johny Aala Re (2006),” which aired on Zee TV. In 2017, he played the lead role of ‘Commissioner Gogol Chatterjee/Khabri Khogol Chatterjee/Phogol Chatterjee (triple role)’ in the Sab TV show “Partners Trouble Ho Gayi Double.”
Other Works
Johnny recorded the comedy cassette “Hasi Ke Hangame” which made him famous in India.
During this period, he made several advertisements for “Kachua Chhap incense.” He made his singing debut with the song “Bhoot Raja” from the film “Chaalbaaz (1989).”
He judged the comedy reality show “Comedy Circus” which aired on Sony TV in 2007.
Controversy
- In December 1998, he was sentenced to seven days in jail for disrespecting the Indian Constitution and the Indian National Anthem at the birthday party of Anis Ibrahim’s son in Dubai.
- In 2013, the Vishva Hindu Parishad and its militant youth wing, the Bajrang Dal, threatened to launch an agitation against John Lever; accusing him of spreading Christianity and evangelizing Hindus. They claimed that Johny had published a Little Book of 18 stories, which consisted of stories of people’s experiences with Christianity. The organization added that if he did not stop, they would organize a ‘Hawan’ at Johnny’s house.
- In 2019, Johnny Lever’s stand-up video from an event went viral where he was seen making jokes about Salman Khan’s hit-and-run case and making fun of his driving skills.
Award
Filmfare Awards
- Filmfare Best Comedian Award for the movie “Deewana Mastana” in 1997
Johnny Lever With His Filmfare
- Filmfare Best Comedian Award for the movie “Dulhe Raja” in 1998
Address
151/152 Oxford Tower,
Yamuna Nagar, Lokhandwala
Andheri West, Mumbai
Favorite Things
- Music Director: Kalyanji-Anandji
- Comedian: Charlie Chaplin
- Cast: Mehmood, Johny Walker
- Song: “Main To Tum Sang Nain Mila Ke” from the movie “Man-Mauji (1962)”
Car Collection
He owns an Audi Q7.
Johnny Lever With His Car
Net worth
His net worth is approximately Rs. 190 crores (as of 2018).
Facts
- He likes to do mime, watch movies and listen to music.
- He started copying after seeing one of his neighbors do it.
- At the age of 13, he was so tired of dealing with his life’s problems that he decided to end his life by getting in front of a train. As he stands on the railway tracks, he thinks about his family and their well-being and decides that he will not die and fight his problems.
- While working at Hindustan Lever Ltd., Johnny performed at a function there, where he impersonated some of his senior officers. The workers there were impressed by him, and their Union leader Sudesh Bhosle gave him the name Johnny Lever. When he later joined the film industry, he decided to keep the name.
Johnny Lever Performed at the show
- He is a Christian. He preaches every Sunday in some parts of Mumbai, Chennai, and even the US. When Johnny was asked about his faith, he replied-
That is God’s will. I have always been a religious person, but one incident changed my life. My son was diagnosed with a throat tumor. I was helpless and asked God for help. I stopped working in films and spent all my time praying for him. Ten days later, when he was taken for tests, doctors were surprised that the cancer had disappeared. It was the beginning of a new life for me.”
- Johnny is the president of MAAM (Mimicry Artist Association Mumbai).
- Once, his father had a paralytic attack, while Johnny was shooting. His family had no way to contact him because there were no cell phones at the time. The family waited for his return from his work, and when he did, it was too late; because his father’s leg had to be amputated. He considers that day as the most regrettable day of his life.
- He is a philanthropist and loves to work for various social causes.
- He considers Kishore Kumar and Mehmood as his biggest inspirations for comedy.
- He likes to solve crossword puzzles. He starts his day by solving crossword puzzles and has been doing this for years.
- According to Johnny Lever, sad events don’t make him cry, but happy moments do. He describes it with one incident – when his sister died; he found out the news just before his show was about to start. He performed his performance and then returned to his home to pay his respects to his sister.
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
