On stage, she is hilarious and her impersonations are on-point, but there’s so much more to her as a person. Following in her father Johny Lever’s footsteps, Jamie Lever is very aware that she has big shoes to fill. After her recent show in Goa, Jamie spoke to us about her career and doing clean comedy. Excerpts:

At the start of my journey, I never put myself in the category of a female comedian; for me, the fight was just to make my mark as a comedian. It was important that I respectfully find my position, not just be a star kid, who is trying her hand at comedy. True, there are fewer female comics today; it’s not an art form that parents support women to do. It is also a bit hard for society to accept female comics. But now, things are changing and women have become more confident and bolder and are the ones telling the jokes.

We must be very conscious of the fact that when we prepare something, we should not cross the line. I come from the Mr Johny Lever school of comedy, a flag bearer of clean comedy. I grew up knowing that this is the only style of comedy I must do. It is a conscious choice, but it also came naturally. About keeping a balance, yes, it does happen, you might offend somebody. For example, I impersonate a lot of actors, but I will not say anything personal about their character or family. It is all in good humour, and that is why in my case, most of these actors have reached out to me, saying, ‘We really enjoyed our impersonation.’

Roasting is an art form, much appreciated abroad, but not so much in India. Some have attempted roasting in the past, and they have failed miserably. India is not ready for roasting. Roasting happens abroad on a public platform, and many big celebrities are roasted with the who’s who in the audience and they all enjoy it. Yes, it may spark some controversy later, but they are still accepting of that art form. Whereas in India, when you do a roast, there are FIRs and complaints filed, which is understandable because our culture doesn’t allow it. It hurts sentiments, because we are very emotional people, our upbringing, our roots, our conditioning, doesn’t allow that kind of insult and humiliation. So I think comics need to be aware... Especially given the current scenario where episodes have been taken off. So, yes, we have to draw the line somewhere.

When I started working, I didn’t have any of those thoughts. It was my own inner battle, to fight with my insecurities and self-doubts. But yes, when I stepped into the industry, the first thing they said, ‘Oh, you will be compared with your father’ and that’s when it struck me. But I never took that pressure because I will never be able to match up; It’s a fact. A man who’s worked in the industry for over 40 years, and on stage for over 50 years, done over 500 films... how can I ever match up? I had to just be on my own journey.