Jaaved Jaaferi: There’s so much more I can do as an actor

In an exclusive conversation with indianexpress.com, Jaaved talked about his projects, Boogie Woogie and his most loved commentary in Takeshi Castle.

Excerpts from the conversation:

The Final Call features you in a very different avatar as Siddharth Singhania.

Yes, I had a very different character to play. Something I haven’t done in a while. I was really impressed with the script when it was narrated to me. For me, it’s really important to know what am I doing in a given project. Also, the people involved and if it will have a decent release. I trusted this team and this show has a very interesting combination of spiritual and thrill. So I had more than one reason to say yes to it. While I am not as spiritual as my character, I did find a lot of myself in him.

Like most actors, you too seem to have been stereotyped in the comic genre. Does that affect you personally?

Yes, actors are indeed put in boxes. But it all depends on the success of the image you have. While you might get popular among the masses, how you convincingly work towards the character is also important. As for my career as an actor, I think I can do so much more. After an age, opportunities do become less but times are changing. I think Nawazuddin (Siddiqui) and Irrfan (Khan) have opened up new gates for us. They have come as a breakthrough for unconventional roles. Also, with the rise of the digital medium, things look brighter for us actors. It’s ironical that Total Dhamaal and The Final Call released at the same time. I have stark opposite role in both the projects.

While Total Dhamaal is raking in big numbers, there was a section that did not seem pleased with the film?

I think it was just the critics who did not have good things to say about the film. I have had so many people come up to me saying that they totally loved the film. Also the kids, they really enjoyed it. We never projected our film as something else. It was always this mad comedy that you can sit back and enjoy. While it would be wrong to compare oranges with apples but Total Dhamaal’s collection is quite close to Gully Boy. That shows that the audience really enjoyed it.

Boogie Woogie gave birth to the trend of dance reality shows on television. Don’t you wish to get it back, now that reality shows really work?

I love Boogie Woogie. There was an amazing amount of learning with that show. It worked successfully for 17 years. It was the first dance show in India and an original format. It will always be close to my heart. In case we do plan to get it back, we will have to reinvent a lot. Since almost all shows on television have the same format now.

We also loved your narration in Takeshi Castle. Something that we wish could make a comeback again.

I am always open to doing something like that. Honestly, when I took it up, I never knew it would receive so much love. I did it for the love of kids, and now it has become a cult. There is a whole generation that has grown up watching Takeshi Castle.

What else does 2019 have in store for you?

My next release has been directed and shot by Santosh Sivan. It’s a little towards the art house side and features me as the central character. Also, I have another film Mayasabha by Rahi Anil Barve, who directed Tumbbad. And then it’s Jabariya Jodi with Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra. So there’s a lot of interesting things coming up.