As the release of Dharmaar 4 approaches, Javed Jaafiri discusses why he’s never experienced pre-release jitters, how Dharmaar went from a mediocre box office hit to a franchise with cult status, and why, in his opinion, the original film was a disappointment due to poor marketing rather than the content itself. The actor played the lovable character Manav in every installment of the comedy series.
Javed Jaffrey : No one imagined that “Dhamaal” is a series
In an interview with India Today, Jaffrey said that he has full confidence in the film and believes that the audience is craving for the light entertainment it provides. Interestingly, he revealed that no one associated with the first film ever envisioned Damar becoming a series. “When we started, no one thought this was a franchise,” he said. It’s just a throwaway fun movie. The first part did not do well at the box office. It was okay, but then it turned into a cult. And then they said, “Let’s do another one.” It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t huge, but it recouped the money and made some profit. “
Javed Jafferi on the series’ changing cast
He talked about how the series’ cast continues to change with each new film. “Then they decided to make a third one. Sanjay Dutt doesn’t exist anymore, so they added Madhuri DixitAnil Kapoor and Ajay Devgn. Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit were not seen in this game but Ajay is back. Ritesh, Arshad and I are constant, in a way Sanjay Mishra Yes, although he also changed his personality. “
Jaaved Jafferi on when franchise construction will begin in India
He also believes that the practice of deliberately building franchises only became popular in India sometime after 2010. He added, “No one thought of movies as franchises back then. Now, whether it’s a movie or a multi-season web series, projects are being made keeping in mind that they can be franchises. I think the whole mindset and business model emerged after 2010, even before COVID. With web series, writers started to map out character trajectories and storylines.” across multiple seasons. It’s essentially the same format as the movie, just longer. “
Jaaved Jafferi compares ‘Darma’ to ‘Star Wars’ and Hollywood franchises
He turned his attention to Hollywood, viewing Star Wars as the ultimate model for building a franchise. “In the West, there’s Loki, Star Wars, The Godfather. But if you think about how to get the most out of a work, Star Wars does it best. It expanded into The Mandalorian and many other stories. Then there’s The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Marvel Universe.” Back home in India, Jafri credits Damal with starting the franchise trend. “In India, if I remember correctly, Dhamaal was the first franchise movie. I could be wrong, but I think so. Welcome came later, Golmaal came even later. Even action series like Tiger, War and Drishyam came much later. As a film franchise, I think Dhamaal started the trend.
Jaaved Jafferi on disappointment with marketing for first film
Although the series is now extremely popular, the actor admits that the team was disappointed when the first film didn’t perform well upon release. “Yeah, we’re disappointed because I personally think it was marketed in the wrong way.” Using an analogy to illustrate his point, he explained: “You can’t say I want to sell Nike shoes, but market it like Nirma. It’s a completely different target audience and a completely different way to market it.”“He felt that the unconventional nature of the film was not communicated in the right way. “I feel like there was some kind of miscommunication in the marketing because the film was very unique at the time. There is no heroine in the film. There is only one song, which comes as part of the celebration after the climax. This is not a promotional song. Looking back now, he says the actors never doubted they had created something special. “We were disappointed because I thought it was fantastic. We loved it while we were making it. We knew it was unique. But like I said, I think it was just a marketing mistake.”
Jaaved Jafferi: ‘I was never nervous’ about ‘Dhamaal 4’
Talking about the topic of Dhamaal 4, he said, “I am never nervous. I don’t get nervous about these things. We have tried our best. We put it out there. It depends on the people.” The actor said that the pressure on an actor is different when he is responsible for the success of a film alone. “I think the people who are nervous are the ones who have invested the money. In a way, when you star in a film alone, there’s a weight on your shoulders because so much of your career depends on whether it’s a success or a failure. But it’s a collective cast; it’s not just carried by one person. Technically Ajay Devgn is our most recognizable character, but it’s still an ensemble cast. Jaffrey believes that the biggest advantage of “Dhamaal 4” is its ability to help people forget their worries for a few hours. “It’s something we really love making and a world we love. I think it’s a laugh-out-loud, fun comedy that uses its brain. This is stress relief. Especially today with so much violence happening not only in movies but even in the real world, a movie or comic book show like this becomes a stress reliever in a way. So we are very comfortable. Hope people will like it. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I have a feeling it will work. This is a nice, clean family comedy. “
Javed Jafferi is one of the only constants in the team
Given that Dharmaal is now among Bollywood’s longest-running comedy series, it seems the actors will feel the pressure to live up to its legacy. Jafri, however, sees things differently. He said, “Technically, Arshad and I are the only constant characters throughout the series. Ritesh appears in all four films, but he changes character from the third film onwards. In the first and second films, he was a wannabe detective. The third time, he turned into this Bihari con guy. So Arshad and I are the only two constants in these four films. “
Jaaved Jafferi compares Dhamaal’s format to classic comedy series
He compared the franchise to classic film franchises, which simply put familiar characters into new adventures each time. “I just feel like, like in the ’60s and ’70s, there used to be formats where you put the same characters into different situations. There were the Carry On series – Carry On Doctor, Carry On Nurse, Carry On Up the Jungle. Those formats have been around forever. ‘Dhamaal’ is very unique and has always been about the exploration and pursuit of money or treasure. This time the buried treasure is 100 years old. So basically, it’s a journey from point A to point B, with all the punching, comedy, and skits happening along the way. It’s like a cross between a movie and a sketch show, where the sketch keeps taking you from point A to point B. There are emotional moments, of course, but always within the confines of a family comedy. “
