Top 94 Quotes & Sayings by Johnny Lever
Explore popular quotes and sayings by an Indian actor Johnny Lever.
Last updated on April 21, 2025.
When people see shows like 'Antakshari' or 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' they are encouraged to take part in such shows.
To do comedy, there are so many hurdles one has to cross.
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 actually see comedy in death.
Even as a child I used to mimic veteran film actors of the time.
Comedy is an art which is extremely difficult to deliver.
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.
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.
Gone are those days where I would probably work for five shifts in a day.
I have done many films and spoke different languages.
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.
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.
You see in comedy - performance is the cake and dialogue is like the icing on that cake.
Life in Bollywood was not easy. It took me many years to establish myself, it was a struggle.
My golden phase was unarguably between the 90s and 2000s.
I was interested in films since my childhood.
Artists like Mehmood, Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan are performers... they are born in centuries.
I am not funny in real life, but it's my work to make people laugh.
A comedian's job itself is tough. But I have been lucky to have made people laugh.
Ranchi is a much better place than Mumbai or any other big city in the country. People here are simple and open-minded.
Even a child will not listen to a faltu joke anymore.
It is always nice to keep in touch with our family and know our roots.
A lot of thought goes into making people laugh. Comedy is never easy. Making people cry is easier than making them laugh.
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.
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.
We lived in a slum area in the suburbs of Mumbai.
I am a very sensitive person, I cannot bear to be rude to others.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Standup is like shorthand. Every bit must be both brief and profound or the audience will lose interest.
The level of comic performance has certainly gone down over the years.
If I were to ever make a lot of money, I will invest in films.
In standup, you must be able to hypnotize the audience.
Comedy is tough. It is a serious business.
Ek Tappa Out' is a huge platform for the new talent and I think everyone should exploit this opportunity.
Actually all artists love Gujarat because Gujaratis shower respect and a lot of love on them.
I was always taught to do something to have an identity of your own. Forget your mom, dad, brother, sister, regardless of how big they are, you should do things by yourself, even if it means selling clothes or pens on the road.
One has to accept that change is the only constant in our lives.
I started as a stand-up comedian at charity shows in Mumbai.
I cannot stay away from people and audience.
I speak Telugu, so learning Kannada was not all that tough.
I focus on my work while some people unnecessarily complicate life.
I was born a Roman Catholic but had never tried to read the Bible. Now, I ensure that I read it completely.
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.
I am the opposite of other people. I don't cry when I am upset. I cry when I am happy.
If I'm not comfortable doing something, I'll refuse the role altogether.
I don't boast about being a holy person but I know that prayer can do miracles.
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.
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 artists like me nothing matters more than the audience's respect.
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.
I want to make the kind of films that Charlie Chaplin did.
It is said that a person who makes other people laugh has a lot of pain in his heart. On the contrary, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a comedian and don't nurse such thoughts.
Talent is given by God but you should respect it by doing good work.
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.
The onus is on us to produce movies that everyone in the family can watch.
Comedy is a very difficult thing to do.
There's a phase for everyone, where actors need to slow down and reinvent themselves.
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