Syed Jaaved Ahmed Jaffrey (; born 4 December 1962) is an Indian actor, dancer, producer and comedian who has appeared in Hindi films and television shows. He is the son of the comedian Jagdeep. He joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in March 2014 and contested the 2014 Indian general election from the Lucknow constituency finishing fifth.
Jaffrey has been awarded the life membership of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy of Film & Television. He was also the brand ambassador of the first India International Animation and Cartoon Film festival 2015.
Early life and education Jaffrey is the son of comedian Jagdeep. He was born in Bombay, Maharashtra, India (present-day Mumbai).
He participated in school dance competitions at St. Theresa's, and later while studying psychology at National College (his parents discouraged him from attending St. Xavier's, fearing it would make him "go wild"). In 1983, he won an all-India dance competition that awarded him training at a London dance school, which cemented his career in dance.
He married Habiba Jaffrey in 1991 and has a daughter and two sons, including actor Meezaan.
Media career
Films The film Meri Jung, released in 1985, gave him his first opportunity to enact the role of a villain and showcase his dancing powers on screen.
He won his first IIFA Award for best comic role in Salaam Namaste in 2005.
In 2008, he played Charlie Anna in the animated film Roadside Romeo, a collaborative effort of Yash Raj Films and Disney.
He has produced or co-produced films and documentaries such as Inshallah, Football and Inshallah, Kashmir.
Television The launch of cable TV in the 1990s, particularly Channel [V] and its irreverent sense of humour, gave him a niche to depict his brand of comedy. He has been called "TVdom's first real superstar".
He has also appeared in the Pakistani programme Loose Talk in the early 2000s, portraying various characters from India.
Advertising industry He has been associated with advertising since the 1980s as an actor, copywriter and producer. He has appeared in the comical Maggi Hot & Sweet Sauce commercials for 25 years.
Host and judge He has commentated on the Japanese TV show Takeshi's Castle and Ninja Warrior on Pogo TV and Hungama respectively. He was also the judge for Karaoke World Championships India with Manasi Scott, music director Raju Singh, Salim Merchant, Sulaiman Merchant, founder and organizer of KWC INDIA, Savio Paul D'sa, Leslie Lewis, Remo Fernandes, and Sunita Rao.
Jaffrey has hosted award shows including Filmfare, Zee Cine Awards, and IIFA.
Jaffrey hosted Big Googly on BIG 92.7FM created with Paritosh Painter. He also hosted Once More, where he talks about Bollywood films from the 1970s to the 1990s in his comic style, on Epic channel since 2015.
He anchored the show Flashback. Jaffrey also anchored the song programme, Timex Timepass, in which he shifted between the caricatures of characters.
From 1996 to 2014 he hosted the dance competition show Boogie Woogie on Sony Entertainment Television Asia with his brother Naved Jaffery and friend Ravi Behl.
Political career Jaffrey contested the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections from Lucknow as a candidate of Aam Aadmi Party but lost to BJP's Rajnath Singh. He had finished fifth in the constituency securing 41,429 votes.
Filmography
Films YearTitle RoleNotes 1985 Meri Jung Vikram Thakral aka Vicky Also singer for song "Bol Baby Bol Rock-N-Roll" 1987 7 Saal Baad Ravi 1988 Woh Phir Aayegi Mukesh 1989 Lashkar Johnny 1990 Jawani Zindabad Ravi Verma 1991 Shiv Ram Javed 100 Days Sunil 1992 Jeena Marna Tere Sang Vijay TahalkaCaptain Javed Karm Yodha Sudhir 1993 Zakhmi Rooh Shekhar 1994 Teesra Kaun Sanjay Chopra / Pankaj Nigam 1995 Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India Prince of Don Rock Dancer JJ 1996 Fire Jatin 1998 Bombay Boys Cameo Also singer and lyricist for song "Mumbhai" 1998 Hanuman Ashok 2000 Gang Gary Rozario 2003 Aman Ke FarishteyAmar Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon Himself Special appearance Jajantaram Mamantaram Aditya Pandit Boom Boom Shankar aka Boom Boom 2005 Salaam Namaste Jaggu Yadav Aka Crocodile Dundee 2007Ta Ra Rum Pum HarryDhamaal Manav ShrivastavVictoria No. 203Bobby 'BB' Bombatta 2008 Shaurya Major Akash Kapoor Singh Is Kinng Mika Singh Roadside Romeo Charlie Anna Voiceover 2009 3 Idiots Real Ranchoddas Shamaldas ChanchadCameo appearance Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge! Salim 8 x 10 Tasveer Habibullah Happi Pasha Kambakkht Ishq Keswani Paying Guests Parag Melwani The Forest Ebishek Daddy Cool Carlos City of Life Suresh Khan 2010 Lafangey Parindey Himself Special appearance Hello Darling Hardik 2011 Loot Akbar Double Dhamaal Manav ShrivastavInshallah, Football — Producer; Documentary film 2012Inshallah, Kashmir — Producer; Documentary film Agent Vinod —Playback singer for song "Pyaar ki Pungi" 2013 BesharamBheem Singh Chandel War Chhod Na Yaar Captain Qureshi 2014 Mr Joe B. Carvalho Carlos Bang Bang! Hamid Gul 2015 Picket 43 Mushraff Khan Malayalam film 2016 Ishq Forever Amitabh 2018 Lupt Harsh Tandon 2019 Total Dhamaal Manav Shrivastav Happy Sardar Inderpal Singh Malayalam film Jabariya Jodi Hukum Dev Singh De De Pyaar De Samir KhannaCameo Bala Bachchan Dubey 2020 Maska Rustom IraniNetflix filmCoolie No. 1 Jai Kishen/ Jackson Amazon Prime Video film2021Bhoot PoliceChhedilalSooryavanshi Kabir Shroff 2022 Jaadugar Pradeep Narang Netflix film 2025Inn Galiyon MeinMirzaDe De Pyaar De 2Ronak Molta2026 Mayasabha – The Hall of Illusion Parmeshwar Khanna Dhamaal 4 Manav Srivastav
Television Year Title Role Notes1993 Mr. Shrimati Sanju Television film Zabaan Sambhalke Rocky Patel Guest1994–1997FlashbackHost/presenter 1995 Kash-m-kash Dilbagh 1996–2014 Boogie Woogie Judge 2004 Road Raja Host 2005 Kaboom Judge 2005–2006 Bam Bam Bam Gir Pade HumHost/presenter 2011–2012 Mai Ka Lal Host 2014 Once More With Jaaved Jaaferi 2015 Back to Flashback2019The Final CallSiddharth Singhaniya2020–2022Never Kiss Your Best FriendBittu2022 Escaype Live Ravi Gupta 2024 Mohrey BoscoTaaza KhabarYusuf Akhtar2025Do You Wanna PartnerDylan Thomas
Dubbing roles Animated films and shows Film Title Original Voice(s) Character(s) Dub Language Original Language Original Year Release Dub Year Release NotesThe Jungle Book 2Tony JayShere KhanHindiEnglish20032003 The Incredibles Jason Lee Buddy Pine / Syndrome Hindi English 2004 2004 The Hindi dub released as "Hum Hain Lajawab".
Live action series Title Actor(s) Character(s) Dub language Original language Original year release Dub year release Channel/network Notes Takeshi's Castle Shizuo MiyauchiRunpei Masui Narrator Hindi Japanese 1986–1990 2005–2019 Pogo Ninja Warrior Takashi Matsuo Narrator Hindi Japanese 1997 2013 Hungama TVFloor Is LavaRutledge WoodNarrator HindiEnglish20202021Netflix
Awards and nominations Won, IIFA Best Comedian Award for Salaam Namaste (2006) Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role: Salaam Namaste (2006) Won, National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues: Inshaallah, Football (2011)- As a producer Nominated, Best Entertainment Presenter/Host, Animals Gone Wild with Jaaved Jaaferi, 26th Asian Television Awards
References
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