Lever arrived exactly two hours behind schedule but compensated for it. If the Surtis had found the wait agonising, he had them in splits a few moments later.

The response he got was tremendous. Cutting across age barriers, he was able to keep all in good humour, including the show organisers, who got their money's worth. It was a bonanza for the audience, who did not have to pay for their entry.

He began with an unfortunate Sardarji who found things not quite going his way. When questioned by a co-passenger in a train why was he beating his son, the sardarji narrated the series of mishaps that caused him to tear his hair off.

His father entered into a manhole never to return; his mother, who was used to sleeping with her mouth open, found a snake making its way through; a snake charmer entrusted with the job of calling the reptile out only managed to add a few more; the sardarji himself was suffering from cancer, ulcer, acidity and diabetes; he learnt midway through the journey that he was heading for Madras instead of Lucknow, and that his son had eaten the railway ticket. To top it all, he realised that the child was not his own.

Lever, who recently got a Filmfare award, only upped the ante after the initial onslaught. His spoof on NRI children, and the futuristic scenario of Airlines starting operations from every bylane and dropping people to their doorsteps, tested the audience's capacity to laugh. But what took the cake was his spoof on Michael Jackson. Vociferous youngsters kept asking him to present the item even before he took the microphone. An orchestra from Mumbai and 10 female artistes from television serials tried to entertain the audience, but found themselves not in demand.