Johnny Lever is a famous Indian actor and comedian. He is known to be one of the earliest stand-up comedians in India. He has appeared in more than 400 films and is known as the “King of Bollywood Comedy”.
Wiki/Biography
Johnny Lever was born “John Prakash Rao Jha Numara”. His zodiac sign is Leo. He grew up in the Kings Circle area (Dharavi) of Mumbai. He studied at Andhra Education Society English High School till seventh grade but dropped out due to financial crisis in his family. He started working at the age of 12. Johnny started doing odd jobs, such as selling pens on the streets of Mumbai imitating Bollywood stars and dancing to their songs. He also spent his early years in Yakutpura, Hyderabad, where he learned his unique style of comedy acting.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′ 5″
Eye color: black
Hair color: black
family, caste and wife
Johnny belongs to a Telugu Christian family. His father, Prakash Rao Janumala, was a factory operator at Hindustan Lever Ltd. (now Hindustan Unilever). His mother’s name was Karunama Janumala. He has three sisters and two brothers; one of them is Jimmy Moses, who is an actor, singer, stand-up comedian and impersonation artist.
Jimmy Moses
Johnny married Sujatha Lever in 1984. The couple has a son Jessey Lever (an actor and musician) and a daughter Jamie Lever (a stand-up comedian and actress).
Johnny Liver and his family
Profession
as a stand-up comedian
Johnny Lever was an employee of Hindustan Lever Ltd. (now Hindustan Unilever). During that time, he began performing stand-up comedy at musicals and events.
Johnny Lever and Rekha on show
After gaining recognition, he joined the Kalyanji-Anandji troupe. He quit Hindustan Lever in 1981 due to the good income he earned from stage performances. He played many shows and toured the world with them. The most important one was with Amitabh Bachchan in 1982. In 1986, he did a charity show “Hope 86” in front of members of the Indian film industry as a filler. His talent was recognized and producer Gul Anand invited him to star alongside Naseeruddin Shah in the film Jalwa.
in movies
He made his acting debut with the film Yeh Rishta Na Toote (1981).
Sunil Dutt discovered Johnny during one of his stage performances and gave him a chance to work in the film Dard Ka Rishta (1982). His major success came with the role of ‘Babulal’ in the film ‘Baazigar (1993)’.
His most memorable roles are in “Chotta Chattri”, “Aslam Bhai”, “Hiralal”, “Col.” Almeida, Camp Manager” and “Pappi Bhai”. In 2011, he made his debut in Pakistani films with “Love Mein Ghum”. In 2011, he made his debut with the Tamil film “Anbirkku Alavillai”.
In 2014, he made his Tulu debut with the movie “Rang”.
He made his debut in Gujarati with the film “Pappa Tamne Nahi Samjaay (2017)” and in Kannada with the film “Gara (2018)”.
Johnny Lever Telugu debut-Gara
in tv
Johnny made his television debut in the sitcom “Zabaan Sambhalke”.
He played the role of “Johnny Utolandand” in the 29th episode of the show. The show aired on DD Metro from 1993 to 1998. He hosted the show “Johny Aala Re (2006)” which aired on Zee TV. In 2017, he played the lead role of “Commissioner Gogol Chatterjee/Phogol Chatterjee (three roles)” in Sab TV’s show “Partners Trouble Ho Gayi Double”.
other works
Johnny recorded the comedy tape “Haskhanga Me” which made him a household name in India.
During this period, he did some commercials for “Kachua Chhap Incense”. He made his debut with the song “Bhoot Raja” from the film “Chaalbaaz (1989)”.
He served as a judge on the comedy reality show “Comedy Circus” which aired on Sony TV in 2007.
dispute
- 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 Johnny Lever; accusing him of spreading Christianity and evangelizing Hindus. They claimed that Johnny published a pamphlet of 18 stories, including stories of Christian experiences. The groups added that they would organize a “Hawan” at Johnny’s home if he did not stop.
- In 2019, a video of Johnny Lever’s stand-up performance at an event went viral, in which he joked about Salman Khan’s hit-and-run case and poked fun at his driving skills .
Awards
Filmfare Award
- In 1997, he won the Filmfare Best Comedy Award for the movie “Deewana Mastana”
Johnny Lever and his movie fare
- In 1998, he won the Filmfare Best Comedy Award for the movie “Dulhe Raja”
address
No. 151/152 Oxford Tower
Yamuna Nagar, Lokhandwala
Andheri West, Mumbai
favorite thing
- Music Director: Kayanji-Ananji
- Comedian: Charlie Chaplin
- Actors: Mahmoud, Johnny Walker
- Song: “Main To Tum Sang Nain Mila Ke” from the movie “Man-Mauji (1962)”
car collection
He owns an Audi Q7.
Johnny Liver and his car
net worth
His net worth is approximately Rs. 1.9 billion (as of 2018).
fact
- He enjoys imitating, watching movies and listening to music.
- After seeing one of his neighbors do it, he started imitating it.
- At the age of 13, exhausted from dealing with life’s problems, he decided to end his life in front of a train. As he stood on the railroad tracks, he thought about his family and their well-being and decided he wasn’t going to die and fight his problems.
- While working at Hindustan Lever Limited, Johnny performed at an event there where he imitated several of his senior officers. The workers there were so impressed with him that 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 Liver performs on the show
- He is a devout Christian. He preaches every Sunday in Mumbai, Chennai and in different parts of the United States. When Johnny was asked about his faith, he responded:
This 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 on films and spent all my time praying for him. When he was brought in for a checkup ten days later, doctors were surprised because the cancer was gone. For me, this is the beginning of a new life. “
- Johnny is the President of Mimetic Artists Association, Mumbai (MAAM).
- One time, while Johnny was shooting, his father was paralyzed. His family was unable to contact him as there were no mobile phones at the time. The family waited for him to return from get off work, but by the time he returned, it was too late. Because his father’s leg had to be amputated. He considered that day to be the most regretful day of his life.
- He is a philanthropist who enjoys contributing to various social causes.
- He considers Kishore Kumar and Mohammad as his biggest inspirations for comedy.
- He loved solving crossword puzzles. He starts his day by solving crossword puzzles and has done so for years.
- According to Johnny Lever, sad things don’t make him cry, but happy moments do. He describes it with an incident – it was when his sister died; he learned the news just before his show was about to start. He finished the show and returned home to pay homage to his sister.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education