Javed Jaaferi He has long been admired for his versatility as an actor, dancer and performer, but unlike many of his contemporaries, he never made it to Bollywood’s A-list. Looking back on his career, the actor believes the reason had less to do with talent and more to do with the industry ecosystem, admitting that he neither played the PR game nor aligned himself with influential groups.Jaaved was asked why he never achieved A-list status during the 1990s despite his immense popularity. Responding candidly, she said in an interview with Screen: “I think it depends on how you’re packaged. There’s also PR because the industry has its own website. There are times when there’s something negative about you out there, so you need a reality check or something positive about being outed.”Reflecting on his own choices, he added: “Somehow I couldn’t do it. I wasn’t part of any group either. Also, if you’re very successful, nobody argues with you. Nothing speaks like success. Like what happened with salman khan. He came in with Biwi Ho Toh Aisi (1988), and people wrote him off.”Jaaved used Salman Khan’s career as an example of how a blockbuster can completely change an actor’s position in the industry. “Then Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) happened, and then everyone ran after him. It’s the same Salman Khan! It’s not like he’s doing anything different from what he was doing in Biwi Ho Toh Aisi. But it’s just success. And then, of course, you grow with it. From that perspective, I never had that big success,” he explained.When he remembered that his debut film, Subhash Ghai‘Meri Jung’ (1985), had been a commercial success and his song ‘Bol Baby Bol’ became very popular, Jaaved noted that his introduction to the public had shaped the way the industry perceived him. “I was cast as a villain! Subhash Ghai sahab was the most successful director then. NN Sippy sahab was one of the top producers then.”He went on to explain that the filmmakers continued to see him through this lens. “So, everyone thought that if I was cast as a villain, that’s what I should be considered going forward. That judgment had already been cast. To argue that, someone had to make a funny musical film, like they probably did with Prabhu Deva to the south But they didn’t, and I didn’t jump either. 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 comedy also stars Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi. The film opened in theaters worldwide on July 10, 2026.