
Comedian Agron Llakaj has rarely spoken about his artistic life and the challenges he has faced over the years in practicing his profession, revealing the threats he received after imitating Sali Berisha for the first time.
Llakaj revealed how he escaped prison after impersonating then-president Sali Berisha in 1997.
"In '96-'97 with Koço Devole, I imitated the then president, Sali Berisha. For the first time I imitated him in Tepelena. There was an extraordinary reaction, just as there was a reaction from the DP in Tepelena, there was a friend of mine, the chairman of the DP of Tepelena, who told me you will go to prison.
"He told me you violated the great figure of President Sali Berisha, he told me you portrayed him badly. I told him I don't understand you, I was friends with him. He told me no, it's not forgiven, this conversation doesn't happen like that," said the actor in a recent interview on his YouTube channel, which he titled "My Life."
The comedian also mentioned the first moments he experienced after the criticism he received for imitating Berisha, an event for which he received a warning to leave the area or end up in prison.
"I returned home to Memaliaj, I told Kostandinë, a prosecutor from Tepelena came to me and told me: If you have the opportunity to leave, leave, because the president will give the authorization to prosecute you and then it will take effect immediately, based on the complaint or accusation. As soon as the king finds out that you are not a donkey, you will have been imprisoned, so leave," the actor added.
After bringing back memories of 1997 when he, together with the icon Koço Devole, hosted the show "Albanian Telebingo" with humorous touches.
Further, Llaka also focused on the invitation he received from Fatos Nanos, who asked him to imitate the president at the meeting that Berisha would hold in Vlora.
However, the actor declined the invitation because he was afraid that someone would be offended by his imitation and history would repeat itself, adding that the people of Vlora, then and now, are supporters of the Democratic Party.
"In '98, for the first time, Sali Berisha was going to Vlora and I received an invitation from Fatos Nano, who told me you're going to do something very big for us: You're going to do something very big for us, you're going to come out as Sali Berisha so that they're going to be shocked."
"I didn't accept something like that because I was afraid that one of the people from Vlora would come and shoot me in the forehead. He had his supporters, as he still has them to this day," said Agron Llakaj.