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Where's my pay cheque?

Pushkar, writer of Johny Aala Re accuses producer Akashdeep of not paying him his dues

Sapana Patil Poojary

Pushkar Sahu, writer of Johny Aala Re has accuces producer Akashdeep of not paying him his dues. Pushkar (who has written screenplays of serials like Home Sweet Home, LOC- Life Out of Control and Hukum Mere Aaka among others) says, "I have been writing gags for Johny Aala Re since its inception. I received my initial payment of Rs 13,000, but am yet to receive my subsequent cheques. When I called up producer Akashdeep (of Cinetek) to enquire about my pay cheques, he kept putting it off saying that he himself didn't get his dues from the channel. So I decided to check with Shyam Gupta, executive producer of the channel, who on the other hand told me that the channel had cleared all the payments. I contacted Akashdeep again, but he refused to give an explanation."

Pushkar continues, "According to the deal, I was supposed to receive my dues after every episode was shot. They owe me Rs 50,000. I have filed a complaint with the Film Writer's Association and have decided to discontinue working for the show."

When contacted, Akashdeep denied the allegation. He said, "This is a false allegation. I would rather not comment on it."

Faiz Salam, executive producer at Cinetek added, "Pushkar is a mediocre writer. He should be grateful that we gave him the opportunity to write for a big show like Johny Aala Re. I admit that he had written several gags for the show but those were hardly upto the mark, and therefore got rejected. Only the good ones were incorporated in the show. Pushkar's allegation is baseless since we don't pay writers when  their gags are rejected."

Shyam Gupta says, "Pushkar did speak to me about his payment being delayed. I told him to write an official mail to me explainin his problem. However, he didn't get back to me."

http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/mmpaper.asp?sectid=19&am p;articleid=102520062335247501025200623351250

Johnny Lever (born John Rao in amkam village in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, India on January 7, 1950) is an actor in Bollywood known as a comedian of great regard who has appeared in dozens of films since the 1980s playing comic supporting roles.


[edit] Life & Career
Johnny started off as a comedian in real life while still at school. His beginnings as a comedian in his village were mainly comprised of imitations of his teachers, his father and his grandfather. He could not study much though and dropped out of school when he was in 7th Grade.

He ventured into stand up comedy at the age of 10. He got a job at Hindustan Lever, Mumbai, for 5-6 years and used to amuse his colleagues with stand-up comedy. As he started doing on-stage comedy, he took the Lever part from the company's name .This gave him the pseudonym – Johnny Lever.

His first break in Indian cinema was in the movie Dard Ka Rishta, thanks to the late Sunil Dutt, who saw him perform at a charity show organised by Kalyanji-Anandji. Since then, Johnny has worked in more than 160 films.

He is as good on-stage as he is in his films. He picks up examples from daily life and finds the funny side in all of them. His stage presence is something that all others can only dream of. With his short height and facial expressions, he creates an aura, an atmosphere that is filled with only one thing - laughter.

He is much grieved by the fact that comedy roles are not written as part of the film. This responsibility is often left for the comedian who has to make up a good script for himself. He feels that this requires time and time is what he considers precious. His idols are Johnny Walker, Mehmood, Kishore Kumar and Jagdeep

Even though he mimics so many people, he has a style of his own which makes him unique. As a person, he is very close to his family that comprises of his wife and one child. His younger brother Jimmy Moses, is too, a comedian and mimicry artist.

He now stars on Zee TV on his own show called Johny Aala Re.


[edit] National Anthem Controversy
On December 8 1998, Johnny Lever was convicted and sentenced to seven days imprisonment for disrespect to the Indian National Anthem and Indian Constitution during a private performance in Dubai. According to the Police, this private performance was on the occasion of birthday party of son of Anis Ibrahim , brother of international smuggler and terrorist Dawood Ibrahim.News-Article

Birth name: Johnny Rao
Nickname: Lallu
Date of Birth: 7 January 1950
Sign:
Height:
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City: Andhra Pradesh
Country: India
Mother:
Father:
Siblings:
Children: son Jesse
Marital status: married
Spouse: Sujatha
Religion: christian
Education: Andhra Educational Society
Likes:
Favorite food:
Favorite color:
His hero:
His heroine:
Other facts:
Hobbies:
Occupation: bollywood actor
Debut Film: Kunwara
Languages: hindi, english

Allu award to Johnny Lever
Updated: 10-03-2006 By andhracafe   Email this Page


Johnny lever is actually a telugu man who hails from Prakasm district. He has made it big in bollywood and has become a global figure.

The Allu Ramalingiah memorial award for the best comedian was established in 2004 and eversince a comedian who has made a memorable contribution to cinema is being honoured. Last few years Manorama and Brahmanandam have been honoured. This year it was presented to Johnny lever by Pawan Kalyan. Speaking on the occasion Jonny said he wants to work in telugu cinema too but wondered if he could withstand the competition posed by Brahmannadam, Ali and Venumadhav, Kota etc.    

Bollywood funnyman rolls into town
By Zafar Anjum, TODAY | Posted: 02 November 2006 1112 hrs

   
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The faces of many Bollywood movie fans light up when they see Johnny Lever's name in the credits of a Hindi film. Even if the film turns out to be a dud, the thinking goes, at least Lever is sure to have some rib-tickling scenes.

Fun. That's what Lever's name has long stood for in India and it is what made the 56-year-old actor - who will be in Singapore on Saturday for a performance at the University Cultural Centre - his generation's best-known funnyman.

"For 10 years, there was no Hindi film without Johnny Lever," the comedian, whose real name is John Rao, told Today last week over the phone from his home in Mumbai.

That decade-long span was the 1990s, when Lever was at his peak and there were still a host of Hindi films with comedy sub-plots in their storylines.

"Now the villains in films also play comic parts and they don't want to give credits to comedians," Lever said of an ongoing trend that has seen fewer meaty roles for gagmen.

Once a mainstay of Hindi films - where like other comedians he tended to play the bosom friend of the protagonist or a relative of the villain - Lever became a master of creating funny situations after mirthless scenes to lift the spirits of audiences. In carrying out this time-honoured role in Bollywood movies, Johnny became the latest - and perhaps last - in a line of Hindi film comedians that also boasts stellar names such as Kishore Kumar, Johnny Walker, Mehmood, Keshto Mukherjee and Jagdeep.

"I used to imitate actors like Kishore Kumar and Mehmood - how they talked, how they danced - and people used to love it," said the actor, whose stage name derives from the fact he once worked in a Hindustan Lever factory.

Despite - or perhaps because of - his short stature and lack of matinee-idol good looks, Lever made his name as stand- up comedian and impressionist starting at age 17 before getting his big break in Hindi films.

In the years since making his debut with 1981's Ye Rishta Na Toote (May This Relationship Not Come Apart), Lever has appeared in about 300 films. Now the host of the TV comedy show Johnny Ala Re (Here Cometh Johnny) on Zee TV, Lever still dabbles in film but is nowhere near as prolific as he once was.

"I do films very selectively as I have to turn down roles where I'm asked to do routine comedy work," he said.

Among his forthcoming films are Full and Final, Hera Pheri (Part 3) and Kash Tum Hote (I Wish You Were There).

As for what comedy fans can expect from this weekend's show - his first here in seven years - Lever said simply: "Singapore, get ready to have total fun."

WHAT: Johnny Ala Re Live in Singapore
WHEN: 4 Nov, Saturday @7pm
WHERE: University Cultural Centre.
Tickets from Sistic - TODAY/fa

It's Marathi, for art's sake

Non-Marathi actors, directors and producers are making it their medium


Pune, November 3: Marathi might not be their mother tongue but that does not stop them from using the language to express themselves artistically, be it on celluloid or on the stage. The number of non-Marathi actors and directors in the Marathi film and theatre industry is growing and in turn, raising the bar for others.

The king of comedy Johnny Lever hails from Andhra Pradesh but has been seen in several Marathi films — Bhootacha Bhau, Khatarnak, Ghanchakkar. "I was born and brought up in Mumbai and hence have an affinity for the language. I will continue doing Marathi films."



And then there are friends one can just not refuse. "Avinash Karshikar, Vijay Patkar and many other directors are close friends and I cannot refuse them when they ask me to do a film."

Theatre too has been witness to non-Marathi actors and directors effecting a change. Veteran directors like Satyadev Dubey and Jayadev Hattangadi — they speak Hindi and Konkani respectively — chose Marathi theatre almost right after completing their studies at the National School of Drama, New Delhi.

"I got acquainted with Marathi actress Sulabha Deshpande and her sisters at the Calcutta Festival and they helped me with my play Andayug. Our madness for Marathi theatre was common and so, we started working together," says Dubey, whose first play was Aadhe Adhure.

Hattangadi, on the other hand is no stranger to Marathi, having been brought up in Mumbai. "My interest in theatre made me direct plays in Marathi." His directorial venture was Changuna (good qualities), a Marathi adaptation of Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca's 'Yerma'.

Now, having trained and being the creative mentor to several Marathi actors — Sayaji Shinde, Ashwini Bhave, Pratima Kulkarni, Mahesh Manjrekar and Kishore Kadam — over the years, he says: "Marathi actors are very dedicated and have a lot of passion for their work and hence I enjoy working with them."

Having composed jingles and music for Hindi serials for long, 'doing' music for a Marathi film was a challenge but the reviews that Pak Pak Pakaak received was encouragement enough for Ashish Rego and K C Loy. Rego, who also is the producer of the film has enjoying the experience. "Having done a lot of western numbers, it was a challenge to tune and direct Marathi music. I learnt to play the folk instruments — dholki, lezim, dhol — for it."

Says Loy: "It is easier to work with the Marathi industry as it is smaller than Bollywood. We are now working on another Marathi movie — Aai No 1 — which will be released by the end of this year."