World Laughter Day Special: Jamie Lever on laughs, life and being Lever

On World Laughter Day, the comedian talks on what tickles the nation’s funny bone and the future of comedy in a post-pandemic world.

In the late 2000s, comedy on Indian television was in doldrums. Fiction shows were fading into pre-recorded laughter tracks and the audience was starved good content. This was when comedian-actor Jamie Lever made a foray into the scene. “In those days, there was a lot hamming, it was all slapstick and over the top. People’s tastes have changed now; they don’t want brainless comedy,” she says. Lever worked on comedy skits in TV shows for some time, but after a point, found the rigmarole confining. She wanted to break out of that mould. “I had to repeatedly mimic certain artists because it was working. But you get tired of it. After a point, you feel that as an artist, you can do so much more,” says Lever, who since, has forayed into films and live shows.

Jamie Lever has performed in television shows, films and stage. (Photo: Instagram/its_jamielever)

Given the current coronavirus crisis, movies and shows have been cancelled, and this puts artists like her in a spot, who thrived and flourished on live shows. “Times have changed. People are offering me shows on Zoom. Web is a booming market and we will see more shows on the web,” she observes. Talking about the Internet, she has quite the following on social media. She recently uploaded a video, recreating one of her father’s iconic scenes from the 2002 film Awara Paagal Deewana, which set senior Lever fans in frenzy. “My brother and I told him about these platforms and how people were acting on his dialogues. One day of watching these videos and he was blown away. We shortlisted some of his dialogues, but he said, “you do my part.” It was nerve-wracking for me,” she shares.

While every artist has a signature that the audience loves and the producers often tap into, the genre hasn’t been fully explored yet, she feels. “Comedy has always been underrated in the industry. Comic relief is one of the most important things in a movie but is not done justice to. Actors are given a pedestal but comedians are always put on the sidelines,” she says. A trend that she observed during her days on TV and continues seeing today is that things have become very fast. “I remember one of my producers telling me, “beta pace chahiye.” You get all the jokes on whatsapp these days. Sab kuchh fast food ho gaya hai,” she says.

On the Levers’ participation in the fight against coronavirus, she says that it is important to help those in need. “My dad is involved with CINTAA and is raising funds to pay set boys and daily wage workers. We distribute food and water to people. I have posted messages and songs to create awareness around coronavirus. People should cooperate with the authorities. We need to work with them. Please stay home and obey the rules,” she urges.

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