ACTOR Jaaved Jaaferi, who is basking in the success of his latest film Dhamaal 4, says bringing his popular character Manav to life required careful attention to everything from costumes and voice to body language. Directed by Indra Kumar, the Dhamaal franchise follows a group of eccentric friends whose quest for hidden treasure leads to a series of comic misadventures. The fourth instalment, which released in theatres on June 10 and has earned over Rs 145 crore at the box office, Jaaferi alongside Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and Sanjay Mishra. Jaaferi reprises the role of Manav, simple-minded younger brother of Adi, played by Warsi. The two have been part of the franchise since the first part, which released in 2007. Jaaferi said sharing screen space with Warsi has always come naturally because of their decades-long friendship. "I've known him since he started his career as a dancer when he was 18. I've seen him grow. He used to come home and we've always shared a lot of love, affection and friendship. By the time we worked together, we already had that camaraderie," he told PTI. He still recalls the advice director Indra Kumar gave him after casting him as Manav in the first film. "Indu ji had told me he is childish, stupid but loyal. So I thought of the dungarees look and worked with the costume team to give him a unique appearance. But I didn't want it to become too caricaturish. It had to feel childlike, but with a certain balance," Jaaferi said.

 

"I completely removed the bass from my voice and added a slight lisp. My body language was slouched and floppy because I wanted him to look physically weaker than the others. Even his voice had to be softer," the 63-year-old actor added. According to the actor, each Dhamaal film has expanded in scale while retaining the franchise's comic spirit. "The first Dhamaal was very contained and organic. The second became bigger, the third even bigger, and this one is the biggest in terms of scale. It also has a lot more action along with the comedy," he said. Jaaferi said his comic instincts were honed long before films, beginning with advertising. Recalling the iconic Maggi commercials directed by Prahlad Kakkar and featuring Pankaj Kapur, he said he often contributed to the writing. "I wrote many of the situations and dialogues. It eventually became an iconic campaign," he said. His stint as a VJ on Channel V with shows such as Timex Timepass and Videocon Flashback further cemented his reputation as a comic performer, he added. Asked whether he inherited his comic talent from his father, veteran actor-comedian Jagdeep, Jaaferi said natural ability alone is never enough. "There is something called genetics and growing up watching him certainly had an impact on me. But talent has to be developed. It's a combination of talent and hard work. My father was always very encouraging and loved my Channel V work," he said. Dhamaal 4 also features Sanjeeda Shaikh, Anjali Anand, Upendra Limaye, Vijay Patkar and Ravi Kishan.