Fresh off the success of Dhamaal 4, actor Jaaved Jaaferi reflects on his four-decade-long journey in the industry and the changing landscape of cinema.

The 63-year-old believes that every generation of actors has its own strengths and shortcomings. He calls the younger lot “professional, serious and very focused on what they want”, but feels that “they’re in a hurry and are not very accommodating”.

Known for his comic timing, Jaaferi reflects on the changing nature of comedy, noting that some aspects of it remain unchanged. “There’s a certain kind of humour that stays the same. Charlie Chaplin will never change, Mr Bean doesn’t change, Tom and Jerry doesn’t change. Dhamaal is that world,” he says.

Jaaferi further adds, “It doesn’t matter whether you watch it today or 10 years later. There will always be an audience who will like it... Dhamaal (2007) ko bhi aaj 19 saal ho gaye. Sensibility toh badli hai logon ki, but log abhi bhi dekh rahe hain.”

The actor believes one of the biggest challenges actors face is being a prisoner of their own commercial success. “There was a phase when (veteran actor) Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan couldn’t do anything different because it didn’t work. The commercial aspects didn’t allow him to move,” he shares.

Jaaferi says he has consciously tried to avoid that trap by making thoughtful career choices. “As an actor, though I have done a lot of work. I’ve played a villain, I’ve played crazy guys, done serious films as well. Yet feel there is a lot more left to explore in me,” he concludes.

Jaaved Jaaferi’s chartbuster Bol Baby Bol Rock-N-Roll from Subhash Ghai’s Meri Jung (1985) is remembered even today. Appearing in an upcoming episode of the fifth season of India’s Best Dancer, the actor recalled how late choreographer Saroj Khan gave Hindi cinema a dancing villain, a rarity at the time, through the song.

Talking about how the choreographer broke Bollywood’s standard cinematic tropes, Jaaved recalled, “The kind of character that Anil Kapoor had in the film, it didn’t have scope for dancing. As a result, the flavour of high-energy dance was introduced through the villain. I think it marked the first entry of a ‘dancing villain’ in Indian cinema.”

Jaaved was joined by Ravi Behl and Naved Jafri on Sony TV’s reality show. As they walked down memory lane, Behl reminded Jaaved that he had borrowed his brother’s red shoes and trousers for the shoot. “Jaaved had actually borrowed Naved’s red shoes and pants, leaving him to spend the entire day hanging around the set in his vest, pants, and spare footwear,” laughed Behl as Jaaved added that the dance number was filmed in four days on the streets of Nariman Point and a set.

Mumbai: The Mumbai crime branch has issued a lookout notice against suspended Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) assistant municipal commissioner Mahesh Patil, an accused in the Rs 16.24 crore cheating case lodged by actor Jaaved Jaaferi’s family.

Crime branch officials issued the lookout notice earlier this month amid concerns that Patil might leave the country.

The crime branch’s property cell had earlier arrested UK-based businessman Nishit Patel for allegedly cheating actor Jaaved Jaaferi, his wife Habiba Jaffrey and their relatives of Rs 16.24 crore on the promise of lucrative returns through investments linked to the redevelopment of the New Kamalkunj project in Bandra West.

Javid Jaffery’s wife first met Patil at his BMC office in April 2024 for some clarification regarding a tax-related matter. Patil allegedly told her about an investment opportunity in a Bandra property project and advised her to channel it through Patel.

Police alleged that Nishit Patel frequently visited the Jaffrey residence, presented project layouts and maps, and persuaded the family to invest nearly Rs 30 crore in exchange for commercial space in the proposed redevelopment project.

He allegedly furnished forged letters purportedly issued by a private bank and other fabricated project-related documents to convince the family to invest.

Crime branch officials alleged that forged documents and false assurances were used to collect nearly Rs 16 crore from Jaaved Jaaferi, his relatives and other investors.

Police sources said that several influential individuals, including retired police officers, civic officials, artists and retired judges had allegedly invested amounts ranging from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 20 crore in the project after being promised substantial returns.

The alleged fraud came to light in July 2025, when the complainants visited the Bandra registration office and discovered that one of the agreements shown to them did not exist in the official records. The accused later assured investors that the money would be returned, but it never happened.

Jaaved Jaaferi believes that while dance reality shows today are brimming with talent, originality seems to be missing. According to him, many shows feel indistinguishable from one another despite evolving formats. “They all look the same. While the formats evolve, the core presentation rarely does. There’s great talent around, but when it comes to the shows, nothing really stands out,” he said.

Comparing the current scenario with the past, Jaaved pointed out how the internet has transformed exposure for dancers. “Today, dancers watch everything online and pick up styles from all over the world. We didn’t have that kind of exposure back then,” he noted.

Reflecting on the iconic 1990s dance reality show Boogie Woogie, he added, “Our show was original. It wasn’t copied. If it ever comes back, it has to be version 2 — different and fresh.”

Known for his exceptional dancing skills, the actor also reminisced about his memorable dance collaborations with leading actresses of the time. “Meenakshi was very good. Madhuri Dixit too — I remember we had a lot of fun during 100 Days. She was so busy with other films that rehearsals were limited. There was no time to try something extra or new, but I totally enjoyed working with her. Neelam was another actress who matched my steps really well,” he shared.

On the personal front, Jaaved revealed that he would love to direct his son, Meezaan Jafri, someday. “I’ve seen him grow,” he said, adding that he understands his son’s strengths as a performer and would like to explore them creatively at the right time.

In De De Pyaar De 2, Meezaan Jafri’s character arrives with swag, as he balances a split across two cars. But off screen, the actor — senior actor Jaaved Jaaferi’s son — doesn’t believe in stunts to grab eyeballs. “I’m here for the next 20–30 years. Slow and steady is my path,” says Meezaan, pleased that his latest release, led by Ajay Devgn, is having a strong run.

Slow is an unconventional choice in today’s age of instant gratification. But the actor believes he has made unconventional choices right from the start, when  he skipped acting school in favour of filmmaking school. It was Ranbir Kapoor who advised him to do so.

“Ranbir was shooting Besharam [2013] with my father at the time. He told me, ‘Don’t apply to the usual places. Go to SVA [School of Visual Arts] in New York. It’s only filmmaking, no unnecessary subjects.’” Meezaan says that the piece of advice was a game-changer for him. “That school shaped how I look at films.”

The Malaal (2019) actor may not have had a breakout film yet, but he is not in a hurry. “Overnight success is scary. If you get a massive hit too early, you set a benchmark. I’d rather build slowly,” he reasons.

A film like De De Pyaar De 2, which sees him share screen space with his father, makes this ride joyful. And sometimes scary, says Meezaan, referring to their dance sequence. “I was terrified. I was dealing with Jaaved Jaaferi in his strongest zone!”

After dabbling in non-fiction all his career, creator Nishant Nayak harboured a dream of making a fiction show. He says it took him and his team almost five years to bring the show to screen. The Amazon Prime Video series Do You Wanna Partner, starring Diana Penty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Jaaved Jaaferi, Nakuul Mehta, and Shweta Tiwari, among others, was, he shares, a product of the pandemic. In conversation with mid-day, Nayak discusses how he and Mithun Gangopadhyay developed the idea, did intense research of the beer industry, and how much the script changed from start to finish. Excerpts from the interview.

To be honest, I haven’t moved. It was just something that I wanted to try out. I still work as a non-fiction director. Actually, I wrote this story as a pandemic experiment. I was always keen to direct an original story. [I wanted] to either do a short film or a long-form content. My cinematographer [Mithun Gangopadhyay, co-creator] had written a couple of concepts and this is the one that I really liked. So, we decided to develop it together. We gave ourselves a month to write the entire story. Then we shopped it around. It took us about nine months to get through to Dharmatic Entertainment and then they got Amazon [Prime Video] on board. Then we set up a writers’ room. Non-fiction is still very exciting and I enjoy it.

I was actually involved in narrating it to a lot of the cast before we finally went on floors in May last year. But it took us about eight to nine months. The whole story of these two girls, who want to enter a male-dominated industry, having to create a fictitious male partner because of the circumstances, I think caught everyone’s ear. Initially, it was set in the US and there was a bit of a video game component. I wanted to localise it, and craft beer is something that we both identified with. In all, it has taken five years from the time we put pen to paper to you actually seeing the episode today.

We’ve been getting a mixed response from outsiders and friends from the industry. I think the whole one-liner really appealed to everyone. People have liked that we integrated a mixed cast from across movies and television. People have found the heightened sense of disbelief. Some people wanted something a little closer to realism. There’s been a little bit of critique on that. But largely I think people have really enjoyed seeing Diana and Tamannaah in a series. The fact that Jaaved Jaaferi is also back in a very endearing role [has got love]. We also got a lot of positive response to Jaaved Jaaferi’s role. I had directed Shark Tank India, so it’s sort of continuing the whole entrepreneur cycle. The music was also well liked.

I think the essential plot of Vikram Walia [played by Neeraj Kabi] having a connection to Tamannaah’s father’s business failing, and that becoming a mission for her to see through, stayed the same. Laila [played by Shweta Tiwari] was originally a sketchy male financier. I am glad Shweta ended up playing it. A few small characters and turning points changed. I have no regrets about what changed. It had an army of good hearts behind it.

They both came in cold because they are from very different backgrounds. Tamannaah is a huge star in the industry. For Diana, it was her first OTT show. We did readings and workshops together. They both loved the story. And it worked  on camera.

We needed a cool product. Initially, we were planning to go with video games. Mithun, my co-creator, had also been a hobby homebrewer years ago. He was familiar with the process and we found the right experts along the way. We, of course, consumed a lot of beer while writing it. The story of Bira was a huge inspiration. Dharma put us in touch with a very fine researcher, Dipti Kharude, who knew a lot of people in the beer community. During the research, we learnt that there were not many female brewers in the Indian market. Then we got in touch with Lynette Pires [from the Women Brewers Collective], who is based in Bengaluru. That was an interesting insight we came across. Since then there have been about six to seven female master brewers. Two of them are consultants for multiple brands. In fact, Pratik Kansara [of Rolling Mills] was the main consulting brewer who helped us on the shoot. 

Another laugh riot from the Dhamaal franchise is on its way, with Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh and Jaaved Jaaferi having kicked off work on the fourth instalment. But Dhamaal 4’s shoot is turning out to be no laughing matter. Last week, during the shoot in Malshej Ghat, the actors expressed concern regarding a dangerous sequence set on a cliff. We’ve heard Warsi was particularly apprehensive about executing it, and was finally convinced when co-actor Devgn assured him that he will oversee the shoot and the safety measures involved.

The actors’ nervousness was understandable, considering director Indra Kumar had earlier planned to employ VFX for the scene.

A source from the set says, “It wasn’t supposed to be a live-action sequence because the location can be precarious. However, a few days before the shoot, Indra ji and Ajay decided to film it at the site. The scene was to have the four actors hanging from a cliff; it was the most dangerous for Arshad as he was to hang at the furthest end. Using body doubles was out of the question as it is a crucial comic scene, with them having to mouth dialogues.”

When the cast voiced their concerns, Devgn, one of Bollywood’s biggest action stars, took the lead. Since he has also been a director, he decided to mount the sequence as per his vision, with help from action director RP Yadav.

The source explains, “These actors are in their 40s and 50s, and not as agile or familiar with stunts as they used to be. Some of them even have past injuries. Taking these factors into account, Ajay broke down the sequence and eliminated some movements that could have been risky. He then ran the choreography, step by step, past the actors to see if they felt comfortable with it. To allay their fears, he also explained how safety measures such as harnesses and a safety net would be employed at all times. Plus, an emergency medical unit would be available throughout. It was only when each actor, especially Arshad, felt confident that Ajay went ahead with the scene, and shot it over four days.”

Impressed by Devgn’s execution of the sequence, Warsi took to Instagram to write an appreciation post where he admitted that he has “newfound respect” for the superstar. 

Jaaved Jaaferi has been in showbiz for over three decades now, but the actor says that his best is yet to come. In a chat, the Total Dhamaal actor spoke about the kind of roles he wants to do now and how he has learnt a lot from both, his father Jagdeep and his son, Meezaan. Excerpts…

No, there haven’t been many interesting offers. Personally, I can do much more. I just accepted what came my way. I did not want to keep waiting for the right roles, but I now want to focus on significant roles in films. I would love to play characters like what Manoj Bajpayee and Kay Kay Menon have portrayed. I had good roles in web shows Mohrey and Taaza Khabar, but people remember me more from my comedy films.

When a role gets talked about or a film becomes a hit, it is normal to get slotted in that genre. And till you get a different role, which is talked about, you will continue getting similar work. I remember playing a villain in Besharam, but the film didn’t do well. I am doing a dramedy now and it is a different story. I am hoping people will like me in that role.

When I look back, I think I had all the prerequisites to play the lead role. I had a decent personality and could dance well. When I was offered Meri Jung, my father (Jagdeep) saw how the film had veteran actors like Nutan ji, Girish Karnad, Amrish Puri and a writer like Javed Akhtar, so I went ahead with it. Later, Govinda with his dancing style became a hit and he was talented, too. When I saw his success, I felt I could have been in that space if given the opportunity. Maybe I made some wrong decisions, but I don’t cry over it.

Filmmakers have been facing this issue for a long time, even before the pandemic. We have been following the same formula in films and are not telling new stories. Today, the audiences are spoiled for choices. Earlier, mediocrity ruled, people were tolerant and had a good time at the theatres. Now, they are exposed to quality cinema at home. Economically, too, it is not easy to spend 4-5k in a cinema hall. We need to up our game and understand that it’s the film that’s important and not the star. Filmmakers should up their game rather than sticking to making formula films.

On screen, Bhuvan Bam’s Vasya will be seen locking horns with Jaaved Jaaferi’s character in the second season of Taaza Khabar. Off screen, it’s a whole different story.  Working alongside Jaaferi is a cherished experience for the YouTube star-turned-actor. Bam says that growing up, he admired the senior actor-host’s versatility and humour.

“I’ve always looked up to Jaaved sir. Watching him bring characters to life with such ease and charisma was a huge part of my childhood. He was India’s original content creator. Long before the digital age [ushered in], he made us laugh, think, and kept us entertained in ways that only he could,” he says.

Throughout his career, Jaaferi had a way of connecting with different sets of viewers—if the older generation tuned into Channel V’s Flashback, the youth swore by the dance reality show, Boogie Woogie. Bam’s connection with him runs deeper. Jaaferi was the original voice of the Indian version of Takeshi’s Castle, a staple for many in their growing-up years. Recently, Bam took on the mantle and voiced the reboot.

Now, collaborating with Jaaferi on the Disney+ Hotstar series feels “surreal” to Bam. The actor says, “Sharing the screen with someone I’ve admired for so long is surreal. Jaaved sir brings so much depth and intensity to his role. He brings a fierce energy to the role of Yusuf Akhtar that elevates the series. Watching him transform into this powerful antagonist was incredible, and pushed me to bring my best to Vasya’s character.”

Father-son duo Meezaan and Jaaved Jaaferi are set to come together on the silver screen for the first time. A source says the two have started shooting for Ajay Devgn’s upcoming film De De Pyaar De 2. The Luv Ranjan directorial is the sequel to Ajay’s 2019 film, which also featured Rakul Preet and Tabu.

The source tells us, “Luv Ranjan has been extremely tight-lipped about the project. It is said that Meezaan plays Rakul Preet’s ex or new love interest, while Javed is expected to essay the role of Meezaan’s father. The two have started shooting for it.” Meezaan, who made his Bollywood debut with Malaal in 2019, was last seen in Yaariyan 2 (2003).

De De Pyaar De 2 also stars R Madhavan. It remains to be seen whether Tabu will be a part of the sequel. “The makers want to keep that as a surprise element. She may return with a cameo,” the source adds.

Earlier while talking to us, Meezaan spoke about finding his own path and craving his own destiny in the industry. Meezaan refrains from using his last name. On his Instagram the actor chooses to stick to his first name and ironically even for his debut movie Malaal, his first name was utilized. While others may stick to their legacy and may bank on it, Meezaan is quite certain of not doing that.

“When Malaal came my screen name was only Meezaan. We wanted the name to be as is because it doesn’t hold any religious or family baggage. Also, it’s a unique and a standalone name. Even for Instagram, I just wanted it to be Meezaan,” the actor told us.

He also added, “My father always said, ‘Do it on your own terms, you have a fresh image; this way you don’t let anything come in your way as such’. So this way I am creating a standalone identity of mine courtesy of my work and not letting because of my family. I want to be known for my performances."

Even before his acting debut in Malaal, actor Meezaan was duly noted for his perfect shredded body. The actor's good looks have often grabbed eye balls and made headlines. While vanity comes with the territory – with a whole lot of conversations happening about Bollywood’s obsession with fillers, botox and plastic surgeries – it can also become a hindrance towards one’s craft.

In an extremely candid conversation, Meezaan, who was last seen Yaariyaan 2, opens up on the dichotomy of vanity. He explains, “I would 100% agree that vanity is a huge part. But at the end of the day, the first priority is the performance. So, you got to perform well first, get that in order. Once you figure that out, then of course you should 100% try to look your best and do whatever you can to make that happen. I'm not against (it), but I don't support it either. I would never tell someone to not be who they are and completely change their face or get certain plastic surgeries done. Moreover, I can understand why people do it, because the requirement in the competition has become so high that one feels that in order to reach a certain acceptance level, one needs to do this. I think I've been gifted that I'm decent looking and I'm confident in myself as to how I look on screen, how I'll be able to portray the character. I just look at what I do and how good I can look. Of course to look good, I'm also dieting, I'm also working out. I'm shooting for 18 hours, but after that I have to go to the gym. I have to do my skin treatments and everything because my skin should look good. Of course I do all those things. I think the balance of both is what will make you a star. Because if you want to be a good actor, that's a different ball game. But if you want to be a star, then of course you'll do all these things. Your body also has to be good. You have to look good also. I'm here to be a star. I'm not interested in anything else. I think I have the ability and the potential to do so. So why not enhance that and achieve that.”

The idea of what it takes to be a star was implanted in Meezaan’s head by actor Hrithik Roshan, when he was visiting the sets of his film Bang Bang. “They shot for 16 hours and Hrithik was leaving. My dad (Javed Jaaferi) and I saw him. My dad asked him where he was going? He told us he is going to the gym. I looked at him and I said, ‘Now, aren't you tired?’ He put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘It's easy being an actor, it's not easy being a star’. That's the learning process. There's everything that's involved in being a star. Your profession takes over your life. You have to be ready for that. The reason I'm an actor is because I want people to look at me. I want them to know or talk about me. If you want to be a star then don’t come down looking unkempt in your shorts and chappals. Always look your best when you get out of the house. That's the profession you're in,” he recalls.

During the conversation, Meezaan reveals having a discussion about the same with his father, actor Javed Jaaferi. “My father and I always have an argument about this. He comes from a different school of thoughts. But he's also right. He always says, ‘Don't think about all this, just think about your performance. Don't get so caught up and busy as to how I am looking. That's not what will make you a star’. And I agree with that. But of course, when you can also put in an effort there, then why not? Because when I go to a theatre, I want to see good looking people. I'm spending that money to see good looking stuff which I don't see in my everyday life. I want to see something larger than life. When a Hrithik Roshan comes on screen, he's performing well also and looking good as well. So that's very important,” Meezaan shares.

The character of Mika in Singh Is Kinng, brought to life by Jaaved Jaaferi, remains one of the most hilarious. The actor says there were several improvisations made during the filming process, but the script written by director Anees Bazmee provided a solid framework for his performance.

“He told me, ‘Usse dikhta nahin hai aur sunta nahin hai’. On set, he’d keep tweaking things,” says Jaaferi, revealing that giving the character a negative spin was also a last-minute decision before the crew headed to Australia.

“Anees bhai told me he wanted to add a spin to my character through a short song — I Am Mika. He said, ‘Tum baith jao Pritam (music composer) ke saath aur bana lo gaana’. It was to bring out my character’s negative side and surprise the audience,” recalls the actor, who even sang the track.

Besides Mika, Jaaferi also played Ranvir Shorey’s dad. “The team tried to get a local actor in Australia, but koi theek nahin mila. So, Anees bhai said, ‘Tum karlo’. It was so random... No one would’ve imagined that I’d play Ranvir’s father by changing my get-up and voice. But, a little improvisation made the scene so funny. Jo comedy mein craziness hoti hai, woh inhi cheezon se aati hai,” the 59-year-old says.

At a time when superhero films was a genre associated with foreign films, Jaaved Jaaferi starred in the 2003 fantasy action comedy Jajantaram Mamantaram. The film gave India its own superhero, who would save people in a far-off village from an evil man called Jhamunda, played by Joy Fernandes. As the iconic film completes 20 years, Jaaferi recalls how shooting was a fun yet challenging experience .

“The entire film was very heavy on VFX. Back then, there was no green screen, so it used to be all blue around me. The difficult part was to act with no actors in front [of me]. There were matchsticks or wooden pieces placed here and there for cue. I had to deliver dialogues looking at those objects,” says the 59-year-old, who co-starred with Gulshan Grover and Manav Kaul in the film.

He elaborates, “For instance, if the film shows a dwarf sitting on my shoulder, I was talking to the matchstick placed on my shoulder. The only time I had an actor in front of me was during the climax, where I fight Jhamunda. That’s because we were both of the same size.” But, Jaaferi says the film gave him a lot of scope to learn as an actor, because to react without any action or reaction was quite a task.

The film is based on the famed novel Gulliver’s Travels, and the actor was fascinated by the idea of giving it a desi twist. “Gulliver’s Travels is a story we have all grown up listening to. Also, at that time, I was hosting Takeshi’s Castle (adventure task-based reality show). Kids loved that, so I agreed to come on board,” he tells us.

Jajantaram Mamantaram is a cult film, but it had a tough run at theatres. “Theatre owners were on some strike for around three weeks and because of that, we lost out on a lot of business. The film could have done much better otherwise. But, it still ended up becoming one of the most watched children’s movies on TV,” Jaaferi signs off.

A decade after Yamla Pagla Deewana (2011), Samir Karnik is back with another situational comedy. The filmmaker is set to reunite Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty for his film Doghouse, which is expected to go on floors by mid-2022, depending on the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

The film revolves around “everyday characters”, and their mishaps lend to a comic narrative. “They get embroiled in a serious issue, [which leads] to funny situations that will have the audience laughing,” explains a trade source of the story penned by Karnik. “The makers — [Viacom18, Shetty, Sujit Jain and Dutt] — are yet to lock a location for the shoot in Mumbai and overseas,” he adds.

Besides Shetty and Dutt, Doghouse features Saurabh Shukla, Zayed Khan, Jaaved Jaaferi and Esha Gupta in pivotal roles. Crediting the Hera Pheri actor for bringing the brilliant cast on board, Karnik says, “Suniel anna played an important role in putting the project together. He stood by me like a rock and got everyone on board. Anna liked the story and spoke to Sanju sir, who got on board immediately.”

He informs that rumours of the film being Punjabi-based are untrue. “It’s an out-and-out comedy. Neither is it a Punjabi-based film, nor are Sanju and Suniel playing Punjabis in the film.”

After extensive training for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film, Malaal, Meezaan Jafri joins a new school of acting and learns spontaneity on the set of Priyadarshan’s Hungama 2. “I remember Priyadarshan advising me not to copy anybody and that is what I have done,” says the one-film-old actor. “It was a different world from Malaal — there were no workshops or homework — I was just thrown into the battlefield. Not much thinking goes on his sets and that is a good thing. [You learn] to perform on instinct.”

Matching his comic timing with co-star Paresh Rawal always made him “nervous”, but the actor says he “tried his best”. “Paresh ji will obviously kill it, so I wanted to be at par with him,” adds the actor of the Disney+ Hotstar outing.

While he often seeks father Jaaved Jaaferi’s advice, he explains that he never tried to emulate him on screen. “Priyadarshan’s films are situational comedy. I don’t think my father has done these kinds of films. If I get stuck somewhere, I always approach him, but he never gives me pointers about acting. He has always given me life lessons and that is of more value,” he says.

Staying relevant for over 35 years is no small feat, and Jaaved Jaaferi has managed to pull off just that. The actor-comedian started his career in 1985 with Meri Jung, and his latest project, Coolie No 1, released last year.

Though gratified by his success. Jaaferi says there have been some things that have eluded him till date. “I wanted a talk show of my own, and had proposed it years ago, it didn’t happen. I feel somehow I could have done a great, smaller fun film like Mr Bean, or the ones Hollywood actor Adam Sandler or Eddie Murphy did. I could have been in that space, it didn’t happen. But I don’t sit and cry over spilt milk, and don’t get negative about it. I look at it as moving on and making the best of what we have in hand,” he says.

One might think that his outlook towards showbiz may be coloured due to all this, and he must harbour something against it. But Jaaferi makes it clear that he looks at the industry in a positive way.

“We are in the business of entertainment, and it has various forms. We are the most diverse country in the world, and have a different audience also. We have to appease so many cultures, languages. People are sensitive about so many different things. Hindi film industry is the most difficult industry in the world,” he claims.

The 57-year-old goes on to add a diverse group of people have to be kept in mind while creating content. He says, “We have to cater to this diverse audience. We have the most different audience to cater to, from the perspective of variety and diversity. We all have our ups and downs, good and bad, but overall I think the business of entertainment is a beautiful business. For everybody, sometimes reality gets a bit too harsh. People want to escape, we are the escape route for maybe two-three hours. They find solace or maybe forget their problems. It’s a great space to be in.”

While Varun Dhawan steps into Govinda's shoes for the remake of Coolie No 1, Jaaved Jaaferi plays his secretary in the comedy. Remembering how the late Sadashiv Amrapurkar had breathed life into the character in the 1995 original, Jaaferi says, "The character's motivation remains the same, but the way he speaks and behaves is different from what was done by Sadashiv bhai."

With the Amazon Prime Video offering, Jaaferi — known for his comic timing — has realised his long-standing wish of collaborating with David Dhawan. He enjoys the filmmaker's offerings as they align with the teachings of his comedian-father Jagdeep. "My father taught us that there are certain subjects where you can't cross the line. For instance, one shouldn't touch on religion when making jokes. So, I keep these things in mind. As an actor, I am not responsible for what is written [in the script], but I can refuse to do it if it doesn't match my sensibility. Coolie No 1 is a family entertainer that doesn't cross the line."

After foraying into digital entertainment with The Final Call in 2019, actor-dancer Jaaved Jaaferi is gearing up for his next with Siddharth Kumar Tewary's tech thriller titled, Escaype Live.

"In the current technological climate, Escaype Live dives deep into the minds of young Indians to reflect the impact it has on their lives. It is conceptually a gripping and relevant idea," says the actor, who made his Bollywood debut with Meri Jung in 1985.

What drew Jaaferi, 56, to the series is the unpredictability of his character. "My character is layered and not simply black or white. It has tremendous potential and the process of discovering it as we go along has been great," says the actor, who will be seen sharing screen space with Siddharth, Shweta Tripathi Sharma, Waluscha De Sousa, Plabita Borthakur and Swastika Mukherjee. "Working with all these versatile and committed talents across the board has been truly incredible and insightful," he adds.

Currently being shot in Umbergaon, the series follows the lives of five individuals, who are desperately trying to alter their mundane lives in the promise of overnight fame and fortune on a live-streaming app. The series explores the suspended reality of the internet and its impact on an emerging digital Bharat.