Javed Jaffrey

Syed Javed Ahmed Jaffrey, born 4 December 1963, is an Indian actor, voice actor, dancer, comedian, and impressionist known for his work in several Bollywood films and Indian television shows.

He joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in March 2014 and contested in the 2014 Indian general election from the Lucknow constituency only to finish 5th. Often credited as the “1st Break Dancer of India”. 

He has been associated with advertising since 1980 as a model, choreographer, copywriter, producer and director. He has appeared in the comical Maggi Hot & Sweet Sauce commercials, over the last 25 years, with stars from Pankaj Kapur to Nawazuddin Siddiqui. 

Jaffrey has been honoured with a life membership of the International Film And Television Club of the Asian Academy of Film & Television. He was also the brand ambassador of the 1st India International Animation and Cartoon Film festival 2015.
 

His vision can be found in a recent interview by Dinis Guarda: 

“I was born in Bombay. I grew up in a very cosmopolitan suburb. I went to a school and learnt about multiculturalism and grew up in that environment”. I got introduced to Bollywood through my father, who was a comedian when I entered the film industry. But he didn’t want me to get into that world so I went to college to study psychology”

“The Indian society is so complex and so rich that it is hard to find somewhere else. All these religions, languages, clothing, and cultures living together and thriving together is the beauty behind India”. 

“Throughout my career, I have done so many different things: advertisement, movies, television and now content specific for streaming services. Adaptation again is important. And I think the entertainment industry is being transformed by these new media. The content itself is changing, now it has to be shorter, easy to consume and watch. But also the channels have changed by the new forms of consuming media: on-demand video, social media, YouTube, etc.”