What do you do when you get an 8 am call from Usha Uthup with the legend screaming 'I love you!' in your ears and asking you to mimic her? That's what happened to stand-up comic and actress Jamie Lever, and Uthup's wish became her command.
Jamie, a social media sensation with her excellent impersonations of Asha Bhosle, Farah Khan, and Kareena Kapoor Khan, says she has been lucky that celebrities have always taken her mimicry in good spirits.
The comedian, who is currently promoting her comedy gig The Jamie Lever Show, recounted how Uthup approached her out of the blue.
"Usha Uthup called me at 8 am and I was fast asleep. She said, 'Darling! I love you!' I was like who is screaming in my ears and I said 'Hello?' She said, 'Main hoon! Usha! Usha Uthup! I watch all your videos, please mimic me. Why aren't you mimicking me?' And that's how I started mimicking her. What more could I ask?" Jamie, who is the daughter of screen legend Johny Lever, told PTI in an interview.
"Honestly, I have been so lucky. People have always come forward and complimented me... This is all in good fun. People are enjoying it, so it's worth it," she added.
Choreographer-filmmaker Farah, is equally supportive, she said.
"She is always complimenting and commenting on my videos. She called me one morning and said, 'Jamie, what have you done? My husband is sending your videos to my kids, saying 'Mumma talks like this.' I love her spirit, she's such a sport."
Industry stalwarts Rekha and Javed Akhtar have also praised her, added Jamie.
"Rekha ji has called me and asked me to break down my process of making a video. She said, 'Break it down for me darling, how do you do it? You wear a sari, you even do make-up?' She asks me those details.
"Javed Akhtar saab has called me and complimented me, especially on my Kangana Ranaut mimicry. He said 'The way you have caught the nuance of how she says 'hai' that's just too good.' Every day, I'm amazed," she said.
The actress is not new to the stand-up circuit but the two-hour The Jamie Lever Show is her first solo stint. She has done almost 300 onstage shows worldwide with small clubs and also toured with her father.
"Four years ago, my father predicted that one day I would have my own Jamie Lever show. So he asked me to start preparing for it. It has taken me a lot of time to gather the courage and confidence. Over the years, I have built the content... It's from my experiences in mimicry or just being his daughter. I realised I have so much to say, so many of my own observations of people around me," she added.
"Also, it's a unique life to have been a funny person's child. You are not treated normally. People will just look at you and laugh at you like you are a joke. They are like 'Ae! Johny Lever ki beti!' I don't get a normal reaction... That's been my life. In school, I was made to do plays or jokes because I was Johny Lever's daughter. I was forced to do all these things..." she quipped.
