4 min readMumbaiJun 9, 2026 08:46 PM IST
Actor Jaaved Jaaferi recently returned to judge a dance reality show on TV after 12 years. The actor, who has been in the entertainment industry for over four decades, recently joined Karisma Kapoor, Terence Lewis, and Geeta Kapur on the judging panel of India’s Best Dancer Season 5. In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, Jaaved revisited the time when he was the highest-paid host on TV. He also spoke about facing typecasting and how he once rejected an offer from a big director.
Jaaved Jaaferi on his TV days
During the promotions of India’s Best Dancer Season 5, Jaaved Jaaferi recalled the time he worked as a host on Channel V. He shared, “I used to host, and back then I was actually the highest-paid host on TV for Channel V. I have mainly earned from TV. The house that I bought was from this earning. Where would they pay you in films? They would rather say let go of the balance if the film didn’t work. We have seen those days too. If good, well-off producers were paying Rs 30,000-35,000 and Rs 15,000 was remaining, they would ask to let it go.”
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“When I came to Channel V, people saw the humor in me. It was never scripted, and people loved that in the industry, right from the Bachchan family, Mehmood Sahab, Dharamji. They used to call and praise me. It was very heartwarming. Then Boogie Woogie came,” Jaaved added.
Jaaved Jaaferi on facing typecasting
During the interview, Jaaved Jaaferi recalled facing stereotypes for both his dancing skills and humor. He said, “In the beginning when I came in, I was looked at as a new guy who brought in a new kind of dancing. After that, any role I did, there would be a Michael Jackson photo in my bedroom in the film. It was that in your face. Later, in comedy, it was Salaam Namaste and Dhamaal that hit the nerve. But first it was the Michael Jackson poster. Then it was a request to do something funny. But by the grace of God, I have played some dark roles in the last two years.”
He added, “I enjoy meaty roles. They don’t have to be positive or negative, they should have the range to perform. Every time you don’t get those. Dhamaal was not an easy part. People think it was, but there is nothing of me in that. The way I walked, talked, tonality, syntax- everything was different. It looked easy, but it wasn’t.”
Jaaved also recalled an incident where he refused an offer from a big producer. “At the beginning of my career, a big director had approached me for a song, and I didn’t want to become an item boy. It was a big film. So it was like humko naa bol diya… but I just didn’t want to become a dancer. I am an actor. If you are at the peak of stardom, like a Shah Rukh Khan or Salman, if they dance in a film, nobody will question them because they are established. When your slot is still not made, and if that song becomes a hit, you will get 15 such songs offers. I didn’t want to get stuck in that, but it became a problem because big egos were hurt. Then they won’t look at you as an actor also, so that happened.”
On the work front, while Jaaved Jaaferi’s latest show India’s Best Dancer Season 5 premiered last weekend, on the big screen, he will soon be seen in Dhamaal 4. The movie also stars Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Mishra, Riteish Deshmukh, Anjali Anand, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Ravi Kishan, and Esha Gupta in important roles.
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