| 1. He was born into a Telugu Christian family. |
| 2. His father worked as an operator at Hindustan Lever Ltd. |
| 3. Growing up, he lived in Dharavi, specifically the King’s Circle area of Mumbai. |
| 4. Financial difficulties led him to discontinue his studies after the 7th grade and take up odd jobs, such as selling pens on the streets of Bombay, mimicking Bollywood stars. |
| 5. He honed his comedy skills in Yakutpura, an old city in Hyderabad. |
| 6. During a function at Hindustan Lever Ltd, he imitated some senior officers and was affectionately dubbed Johnny Lever from then on. |
| 7. He began his comedic journey by performing in orchestras and later joining Kalyanji-Anandji's group. |
| 8. Despite also working at Hindustan Lever Ltd, he left the company in 1981 to focus on his lucrative stage performances. |
| 9. He embarked on world tours with Kalyanji-Anandji and gained recognition. |
| 10. Veteran actor Sunil Dutt noticed his talent at a show and offered him a significant role in the film "Dard Ka Rishta". |
| 11. He starred in a commercial for Kachua Chhap, directed by Shekhar Kapoor. |
| 12. His breakthrough came with the 1993 Bollywood film "Baazigar". |
| 13. In 2014, he appeared in a Tulu film called "Rang". |
| 14. He follows the Christian faith and shared a personal story of how his son's cancer was miraculously cured after fervent prayers. |
| 15. Throughout his career, he has amassed over 350 film appearances. |
| 16. He is credited as a trailblazer for stand-up comedy in India. |
| 17. He has been nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role 13 times, winning twice for "Deewana Mastana" (1997) and "Dulhe Raja" (1998). |
