Johny Lever on the new 'Coolie No. 1': Give the film a chance

With an impressive range of expressions that could crack up a stone, Bollywood actor and comedian Johny Lever is someone who can bring a touch of comic relief to even the darkest - and dullest - of films.

Consider 1992’s Baazigar, where a young Shah Rukh Khan embarks on a vengeful spree in what was his first ‘negative’ role. Cutting through an almost constant atmosphere of suspense and tense silence was Lever, jumping in at much-needed intervals for a dose of endearing silliness that made the audience fall about laughing.

Baazigar is regarded by Lever himself and many others as his ‘big break’. Almost three decades and many films later, Lever is still doing what he does best - putting a smile on our faces.

His latest role, that of a ‘musical’ police officer in the rebooted Coolie No. 1, is generating buzz even as people jump into the inevitable debate around whether the film will match up to the 1995 original, helmed by the same director, David Dhawan and starring Govinda and Karisma Kapoor.

While a ‘90s Govinda may be a tough act to follow, Lever hopes fans give the new version - featuring Sara Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan in the lead - a chance. “People are saying things like ‘how will this Coolie No.1 be’ and are comparing the new and old; what I would want to say to them is both films have their own place. And since David (Dhawan) has made the film with his son this time around, he would have no doubt brought out the best in him. Varun Dhawan has done a great job, and so has everyone else. I hope the audience likes Coolie No.1, which we have made with a lot of hard work,” he told City Times in a delightful chat over Zoom.

A ‘musical’ policeman

In spite of being dogged by comparisons to the original, the new Coolie No. 1 seems to have a lot going for it - the trailer has won praise from several quarters for hilarious moments from popular comics that make up its ensemble cast - Lever, Paresh Raval, Jaaved Jaaferi and Rajpal Yadav. Lever expanded on his role of a police inspector calling him “an entertaining and comical character”.

“He’s a man who loves music and talks in a sing-song style; he can do that for several days at a time! He even takes statements musically! I get to interact with the characters of Varun Dhawan, Paresh Rawal and Sara Ali Khan and more all of whom mark time at the police station, and I think I have some great scenes.”

Lever has given fans much to laugh at through the years and appears delighted that fans quote his lines and recollect scenes from old films even today. The actor says he feels “very good” about the love that has been showered on him and has also developed a sense of responsibility to his audience.

“When we do something, we don’t know what kind of response we will get, good or bad. The industry and fans recognised and accepted me from my Baazigar days, saying, yes, this actor does a good job. From that era onwards, love from fans poured in and it became necessary to maintain a relationship with fans. Regardless of any other issues, my eye is on the audience and I think, when they see this (whatever I am doing), they should like it. This has been my endeavor for the duration of my career; I kept getting love from people, and I hope I keep getting that love in the future too!”

Evolution of comedy

When asked how he feels about the evolution of comedy in Bollywood films, Lever whose inspirations include veteran actors Kishore Kumar and Mehmood, says the groundwork for understanding of the genre was laid in older films, but the pressure to provide engaging content has increased now, given the level of exposure people have to comic content from media, streaming channels, the Internet and more.

“I think that in old films our veteran comedians actually taught the audience to understand what comedy was. In those days jokes had to be explained, so a lot of hard work went into composing them. Nowadays, people are very informed; their sense of humour has expanded - you have a world’s worth of jokes in your hands, on your phone. So the point is that, now, what comedy do we show them?

“We have to work much harder as a result. We have to improvise on what a writer has written, and also work on body language… whether you laugh at a joke or not, at least you would laugh at that! So we have to mix everything up, and think about how to make the audience laugh, in whatever way we can. When we can’t get a great reaction that’s when we will retire! It’s been 40 years for me and I am still holding on to that rope!”

Expressing his regard for the “lovely people of Dubai” and how the place “feels like home”, Lever in parting gave a shout out to his fans in the city. “Please watch Coolie No. 1. People are over-thinking the whole remake thing; you have to watch the film in order to decide whether you like it or not. David Dhawan is famous for making comedies, and he’s done a great job - would anyone make a film with their son and do a bad job?”