Johny Lever praises Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar’s comic timing.

Johny Lever’s comic caper Kya Masti Kya Dhoom released in December 2024 on Waves, a new OTT platform developed by Prasar Bharati. While exclusively speaking about the film with Bollywood Hungama, he also opened about the meme culture, his bond with certain actors and his upcoming films.

Johny Lever’s memes have acquired a legendary status, be it ‘Maal kidhar hai’ or ‘Main nahin bataunga’. Johny laughed and pointed out a few more which are used regularly by netizens – ‘Abhi theek karke deta hoon’ and ‘Iski guarantee main nahin de sakta’. The funny man humbly said that it’s heartening to see youngsters connecting to him through these memes.

The actor has worked with several actors but his chemistry with Shah Rukh Khan has been quite appreciated. Both were seen in films like Baazigar (1993), Karan Arjun (1995), Yes Boss (1997), Baadshah (1999), Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), Chalte Chalte (2003), Dilwale (2015) etc. On this, he said, “Shah Rukh bhai lage rehte hai. He’s constantly thinking about what more he could give to a scene. And that lagan and pakad are very important. If you do what is given to you, the result won’t be that great.”

He added, “For instance, with Ajay Devgn, aap usko doge toh woh karega. He won’t add anything from his side but at the same time, he won’t disturb my comic timing as well. However, he is getting better at comedy now. Rohit Shetty ne unse yeh shuru karwa diya hai!”

Johny Lever further said, “Akshay Kumar bhi laga rehta hai. Yesterday, I was shooting for Housefull 5. Akshay ka zabardast contribution tha hamare ek scene mein. People fell down laughing. Lage rehne se hi cheezein nikalti hai. Even Amitabh Bachchan’s comic timing is legendary. When we see his work or that of Kishore Kumar saab or Mehmood saab, I wonder ki humne kiya hi kya hai?”

It is famously said that Johny Lever once complained to Rishi Kapoor that his voice is such that the former is unable to mimic the latter. When asked if it’s true, Johny smiled and replied, “Yes, it is. Some people’s voices are such that you can’t copy them. After all, apne gale se kitni awaazein nikaalenge! I guess it’s the God’s way of saying ‘Tere gale ke liye itni awaazein kaafi hai. Isse rozi roti tu kama le’ (laughs). If I mimic Amrish Puri 3-4 times, mera gala baith jaayega. Amit ji’s voice is also difficult as my voice doesn’t have that base.” While giving this answer, he also mimicked Amrish Puri flawlessly and made our day.

Johny Lever will be seen in two of the biggest comic capers of recent times – Welcome To The Jungle and Housefull 5. When asked about what one can expect from these comedies, he said, “The audience will have a lot of fun in both films. Farhad Samji has written Welcome’s third part. We are all working hard to ensure that these films should turn out to be better than the previous films of the franchise.”

What are his plans for 2025? He said, “I want to do something different and hatke for the audience. A lot of people have given me love. This is my 45th year of working in films. I started working in 1979. Thanks to God’s grace, people continue to love me. I am still getting work and I hope to be better as a performer. I have children in my house and I have realized that agar main unko hasa sakta hoon, toh baaki baccho ko bhi hasa sakta hoon.”

It’s unbelievable to know that Johny Lever has been around for so long. What’s remarkable is that he still looks the same as he did in Baazigar or Nayak (2001). Johny Lever doesn’t take credit for it or his talent. He signed off by saying, “Talent belongs to Almighty God and He takes care of us. His blessings are with us. Hum talent ke saath rahenge toh woh hamare saath rahenge. Some people move away from talent due to certain problems in life. Toh usse sur chhoot jaata hai. So I feel that you may face many problems, be it financial or family-related, but don’t give up on your talent. I understood this from my seniors.”