Jaaved Jaaferi 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 at his career, the actor believes the reason had less to do with talent and more to do with the industry’s ecosystem, admitting that he neither played the PR game nor aligned himself with influential groups.Jaaved was asked why he never attained A-list status during the 1990s despite his immense popularity. Responding candidly, he said in an interview with Screen, “I think it depends on how you’re packaged. There’s also PR involved because the industry has its own web. There are times when there’s a negative thing about you out there, so you need a reality check or a positive thing about you being put out.”Reflecting on his own choices, he added, “I failed to do that, in some ways. I was also not a part of any group. Also, if you have a big hit, nobody argues with you. Nothing speaks like success. Like it 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 one blockbuster can completely change an actor’s standing in the industry. “Then Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) happened, and then everybody was running after him. It’s the same Salman Khan! It’s not like he was doing something different than what he was doing in Biwi Ho Toh Aisi. But it’s just the success. And then, of course, you grow with that. From that perspective, I never got that big hit,” he explained.When reminded that his debut film, Subhash Ghai‘s ‘Meri Jung’ (1985), had been a commercial success and that his song ‘Bol Baby Bol’ became hugely popular, Jaaved pointed out that his introduction to audiences had shaped the way the industry perceived him. “I was launched 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 filmmakers continued to view him through that lens. “So, everyone thought if they’ve taken me as a villain, that’s what I should be taken as going forward. That judgement was already passed. To argue with that, somebody had to make a fun musical film, like probably they did with Prabhu Deva in the South. But they didn’t, and I didn’t pitch myself either. But I don’t think too much about it, honestly,” he concluded.On the work front, Jaaved Jaaferi does not reprise his role as Manav in ‘Dhamaal 4’. Directed by Indra Kumar, the comedy also stars Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi. The film was released in theatres worldwide on July 10, 2026.