'Jajantaram Mamantaram' to 'Takeshi's Castle': Jaaved Jaaferi's best onscreen appearances
He is a dancer, comedian, actor, judge, host, and dubbing artist! A jack of all trades and quite the master of them, too, Jaaved Jaaferi has been actively enriching the industry since his debut film in 1985. Over the years, he has broadened his horizons through various genres and succeeded every single time. On his birthday, we have patched together his best onscreen appearances.
'Jajantaram Mamantaram' (2003)
If you're a '90s kid, I would wager your heart beats for this film. An adaptation of Jonathan Swift's classic novel Gulliver's Travels, it was directed by Soumitra Ranade and was ahead of its time in terms of special effects. Jaaferi's breakthrough Bollywood film, Jajantaram Mamantaram starred him as Aditya, the protagonist. Manav Kaul and Gulshan Grover also starred in this memorable fantasy drama.
'Takeshi's Castle' (Hindi-dubbed version)
Yet another project that made us fall for Jaaferi (more specifically, his comic genius) was the game show Takeshi's Castle. It was something that we, as kids, may not have fathomed completely but loved passionately nonetheless. Jaaferi's Hindi commentary on this Japanese game show left viewers in stitches, and for years, fans rallied on social media to bring him back in Takeshi's Castle reboot.
'Dhamaal' (2007)
"Pata nahi aisi situations me main apne aap aage kaise aa jata hoon," famously said Jaaferi in Indra Kumar's Dhamaal. It was the first film in the successful comedy franchise of the same name. In all the films, he played the role of Manav, an autistic person who exudes innocence and a singular charm. You can watch Dhamaal on ZEE5 and Amazon Prime Video.
'Boogie Woogie' (1996-2014)
Jaaferi was the judge of Sony TV's long-running dance reality show Boogie Woogie, where he was seen alongside Naved Jafri and Ravi Behl. The show, which ran between 1996 and 2014, is credited with inspiring other reality dance shows in India and was produced by R&N TV Productions. The program spawned seven seasons, and snippets of some episodes can be watched on YouTube.
