Johnny Lever Slams Today’s Comedians for Hollywood Copying, Vulgar Jokes: ‘Inki Aukaat Nahi’

Johnny Lever Slams Today’s Comedians for Vulgarity, Says They Rely Too Much on Hollywood and Double-Meaning Jokes.

Veteran comedian Johnny Lever has criticised the current generation of actors and stand-up performers for what he called a decline in the quality and originality of comedy. In a recent interview with Kunickaa Sadanand on her YouTube channel, Lever said that many of today’s performers imitate Hollywood and rely on profanity and double-meaning jokes to get laughs.

‘They’re Copying Hollywood Without Understanding Our Culture’

“The culture of abusing freely has come from Hollywood. Our comedians and actors now think it’s okay to just pick up whatever works in English films,” said Lever. “They’ve made a habit of it — they just assume it’ll work here too.”

He expressed concern that double-entendre jokes have become mainstream, diluting the craft. “This wasn’t how we were trained,” he said.

‘Try Clean Comedy—That’s Real Talent’

Taking a direct swipe at today’s stand-up comedians, Lever challenged them to make people laugh without resorting to vulgarity. “Most of them use double meanings to get cheap laughs. But if we went down that road, they wouldn’t even be able to stand next to us. Inki aukaat nahi hogi saamne khade rehne ki. Still, we chose not to. If they really have talent, let them prove it with clean comedy. That’s the real test,” he said.

He clarified he wasn’t dismissing their popularity but added, “I have a family audience, and I’m answerable to them.”

An Icon of Clean Comedy

With a legacy spanning decades, Johnny Lever is considered one of Bollywood’s most respected comic actors, known for films like Baazigar, Golmaal, Dulhe Raja, and Baadshah. His humour has always remained family-friendly yet impactful.

Most recently seen in Housefull 5, Lever is now set to appear in Welcome to the Jungle, an ensemble comedy also starring Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, and Paresh Rawal, among others. Directed by Ahmed Khan, the film is expected to release in December.