Jaaved Jaaferi said he never got A-lister credit because of industry groups, PR: ‘People wrote Salman Khan after Biwi Ho Toh Aisi’ |

Javed Jaaferi He has been admired for his versatility as an actor, dancer and singer, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he never made it to the A-list of Bollywood. Looking back on his career, the actor believes why he had little talent and more to do with the corporate environment, admitting that he didn’t play the PR game or collaborate with popular groups.Jaaved was asked why he didn’t get A-list hits in the 1990s despite being so popular. In a straightforward answer, he said in an interview with Screen, “I think it depends on how you are packaged. There is also PR involved because these companies have their own internet. There are times when there is something bad about you out there, so you have to check the facts or something good about you is removed.”Reflecting on his decision, he added, “I failed to do this in some ways. I was not part of any team. Also, if you hit hard, no one is against you. Nothing speaks like success. As it happened with Salman Khan. He came up with Biwi Ho Toh Aisi (1988), and people wrote him.Jaaved used Salman Khan’s career as an example of how one blockbuster can completely change an actor’s profile. “Then Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) happened, and then everyone is running after him. It’s the same Salman Khan! It’s not that he was doing something different from what he was doing in Biwi Ho Toh Aisi. But it’s just great. And then, of course, you grow with that. From that point of view, I’ve never had a big problem,” he explained.When he said that his first film, Subhash Ghai‘s ‘Meri Jung’ (1985), was a commercial success and his song ‘Bol Baby Bol’ became a huge hit, Jaaved said that his debut to the public changed the way the industry viewed him. “I was cast as a villain! Subhash Ghai sahab was the most successful director at that time. NN Sippy sahab was one of the greatest producers at that time.”He went on to explain that the filmmakers kept seeing him through the lens. “So, everyone thought that if they took me as a villain, that’s what I should be taken forward. That decision was already made. To counter that, someone had to make an interesting music film, like they did with. Prabhu Deva in the South. But he didn’t, and neither did I. But I don’t think too much about it, honestly,” he concluded.On the work front, Jaaved Jaaferi is not reprising his role as Manav in ‘Dhamaal 4’. Directed by Indra Kumar, the drama also stars Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi. The film was released in theaters worldwide on July 10, 2026.