Rehman Khan inspired by Johny Lever

Stand-up comedian Rehman Khan says he is inspired by comedian-actor Johny Lever.

"My inspiration is Johny Lever. I also follow Moin Akhtar and Raju Srivastava. I have a long list, but yes I learn from new people because they have their own ideas," Rehman, who has been working in TV shows for the past 12 years, said in a statement.

The comedian, who has featured in shows like "Comedy Circus" and "Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala, is now busy with "Comedy Dangal".

Asked about comedy as a profession, he said: "Our basic motive is to make our audience happy as they struggle with daily life's problems. In a way, we are stress busters for them. We help them to forget and live the present. But I want to convey a strong message through my work."

He says he learnt comedy by observing "humour around my life".

"I did theatre for 14 years so, from there I learnt how to interact with the audience. I started stand-up comedy by cracking jokes," he said.

In most comedy shows, men dress up like women and it looks very fascinating when a man wears a woman's dress just to make people laugh, he says. But while he doesn't enjoy this kind of comedy, he had to do it because of "the script's demand".

"One can create comedy without wearing a sari. I don't like to advocate this kind of comedy but yes, this is in demand," he said.

"I think we need to do away with this repetition. I also feel that we need to incorporate mimicry and comedy through singing in our contemporary comedy (shows) because these tools are very strong if we upgrade them," he added.

--IANS

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