How Jamie Lever won notoriety in Indian film

By Sandra Marroquin —

Only after she completed her studies in marketing in the United Kingdom, only after she walked across the stage and received her degree from the University of Westminster in London did Jamie Lever inform her dad she wanted to do comedy.

“What about all the money I’ve put in? Hello,” responded her flabbergasted dad. “So much money I’ve wasted.
Jamie wasn’t dissuaded: “I feel it in my bones. I have to do comedy.”

Jamie’s dad acquiesced. But he didn’t help her with any of his connections in the industry. Jamie’s dad is Johnny Lever. His real name is John Prakash Rao Janumala and he was born a Dalit in India.

He was working for Hindustan Unilever. One day, he was mimicking some of the senior officials and his co-workers bust out laughing. They nicknamed him Johnny Lever, and his career was born.

It’s extraordinary that Johnny was able to be a huge success in comedy and acting because in India the Dalit are often discriminated against because they are the lowest of the low in the Hindu caste system. They are the untouchables.

Because Hinduism excludes them from upward mobility and discriminates against them (secular Indians are not so rigid), many Dalits have converted to Christianity as a way out.

Johnny is one of the most recognized comedic actors in India and is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedians in Indian Cinema.

Jamie says she was shy and quiet and the family assumed her brother would follow in her father’s footsteps.

Her parents sponsored her education in the U.K. to have a comfortable life. She even had the work visa when she dropped the bomb on her dad.

He relented and supported her venture into comedy. But he didn’t help her. He let her try sink or swim to break into the industry.

She called around and started in little comedy clubs. She quickly gained traction and earned a name for herself. “I’ve been doing comedy for the last 12 years,” she says. “I’ve done over 300 shows worldwide.”

It was taking off until 2019 when it inexplicably petered out.

She was wondering what was going on. Then Covid shut down the entertainment industry.

Jamie, who like her parents, is a vibrant Christian. She asked God what to do? As she read the Bible and prayed, she felt a confidence grow that God would help her.

She began doing comedy skits at home in which she would dress up as different personages and act out hilarious scenarios. She started with only 100 followers on Instagram.

“I’m around the house making these comedy videos,” she says. “I’m changing costumes. Sometimes I’m in a sari. Sometimes I’m wearing pants with a coat. Sometimes, I’m with makeup and sindoor. All these characters.”

The media found out. Journalists liked it, reported it and drove viewers to her social media. She got to a 1M viewers. Companies called and asked her to endorse their products, and she was making money.

After Covid, her career has attained new heights earning notoriety in Hindi film. In 2023, she started in the Disney collab Pop Kaun?

“Jehovah Jireh is my provider, I shall not want, He’s going to take care of me,” Jamie says. “He’s going to fulfill my soul. I can do all things.”