Talent is given by God but you should respect it by doing good work.
In fact, I get angry when people laugh at me. I go to the airport and the ground hostess starts laughing at me when she sees me. I get irritated and ask them if I just did some comedy for them to laugh like that. But then I apologise because I know they must have remembered some movie scene that I did.
I am the opposite of other people. I don't cry when I am upset. I cry when I am happy.
I do a lot of social service and I don't boast about it. I believe that if you give with one hand, the other hand shouldn't know of it. I don't believe in cheap publicity.
At times, I pity my comedian image. People start laughing seeing me even in funeral processions.
A good writer takes time to go in-depth into a subject and then comes out with a good script. Then it's the job of the actor and director to improvise with it and make it even better.
I don't boast about being a holy person but I know that prayer can do miracles.
I speak Telugu, so learning Kannada was not all that tough.
I am just like any regular person. I am a fun-loving guy, which is reflected in my acting. I love to spend time with my family like any other person.
Stand-up comedy is a different game all together. You have to improvise on the spot if you feel that the audience isn't enjoying your performance. In a movie or serial, you are in a situation while on stage you create a situation.
Comedy is a very difficult thing to do.
When I entered the industry in 1984, I was welcomed, no one pushed me away. I want the younger comedians to experience the same. They should feel wanted.
Even a child will not listen to a faltu joke anymore.
I won't do roles that are dirty, full of double meaning dialogues and vulgar gestures. Though such roles had made me a star, my conscience was against doing such scenes.
I was born a Roman Catholic but had never tried to read the Bible. Now, I ensure that I read it completely.
For making a good comedy film, you need a good writer whose craft can be understood through the time that he takes to write his script.
Johnny Walker and I were very close. My house is just next to his, we were neighbours. Some time back, he came to my place with his children and we spent some lovely moments together.
A hero has to become a comedian to do a comic role but a comedian does not have to do anything. People laugh at him anyway. Even when I attend funerals, people look at my face and laugh.
As soon as a big amount is involved, the producer looks for a bankable face. No producer will make a Rs 20 crore film starring Rajpal Yadav and Johny Lever, as we cannot pull an entire film on our shoulders. Yet, we do get roles.
My son had a tumour on his neck. We went for surgery but it failed because the tumour was difficult to remove. Later, we went to New York for his surgery. I was scared as his first operation had failed. I went to church and met a pastor. He told me to go ahead, God would take care of everything. And the surgery was successful.
