He was in town for Maitri 2000, a charity show. ``I still do charity shows like this one because I believe in social work. But I have reduced the number of live shows and want to concentrate on my film career,'' he says.

After a string of movies like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Yes Boss, Baazigar and Kareeb, Lever has finally arrived in Bollywood. ``Today, there are plenty of comic roles for me to do. I know of script- writers who have penned the role with me in mind,''says Lever. Lever points to his next film Dil Ki Dhadkan with Govinda where not only does he claim to have a substantial role, he even has a family. ``Like the hero who has a family, the script-writers have also planned a family for me,'' he says. A far cry from the days when Lever was just a struggling mimicry artiste doing live shows. ``I have been performing on stage since I was seven years old. At that time, I would mimic all the reigning stars of Bollywood by copying their mannerisms. Of course, then my voice was that of a young child's but I think I did quite a convincing job of it,'' he remembers. And does he have to spend time studying people's mannerisms and expressions? ``Imitating people is God's gift. It cannot be learnt, you are born with it. I do not needto practice.

Of course, one has to do what the director wants one to. But I observe other people's mannerisms, grasp their idiosyncrasies and try to get in a variety in expressions,'' he says. Although he has a written script at hand, Lever is also an old hand at ad-libbing. ``There are times like some shots from Baazigar when I did not even know that the camera was still rolling and kept adding my own dialogues! Kabhi batti jal jaati hain,'' he says. For Lever, each role he performs is different. ``My aim is to bring in as much variety as possible,'' says he. He does confess that unlike his celluloid avatar he is a rather sober person at home. ``The greatest joy for me is to make the people sitting in front of me laugh,'' he says. And when it comes to providing comic relief, that's all matters.