More Than The Japanese, We Were Obsessed With 'Takeshi¡¯s Castle', All Thanks To Jaaved Jaaferi!

"Bum bara bum bum, takeshi's castle mein swagatham"

We are reliving the past. On one hand, we are battling a global crisis in the form of COVID-19 pandemic, while on the other, we are learning to slow down and appreciate the finer things in life, reminisce about the olden times. When life was smooth and emotions were pure.

Surfing through the internet last night, I chanced upon a tweet where someone made a fair observation - according to @KartikeyaRai11 - "12 people have made it to the moon and only 8 have won Takeshi¡¯s Castle? "

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Now, a nerd would probably try to dig out the former but the entertainment keeda inside of me sent me on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Come to think of it, Takeshi¡¯s Castle was the most entertaining TV show back in the day. It was so addictive that most of us couldn¡¯t catch a break. It was this show that made ¡®binge-watch¡¯ a fad for us. To say that we Indians were more obsessed with the show than the Japanese won't be an understatement.

What was Takeshi¡¯s Castle all about?

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It was a popular Japanese Game Show that first aired almost 34 years ago. It featured the Japanese comedian Takeshi Kitano (also known as Beat Takeshi) as a Count who owned a castle. He organised difficult challenges for players (or a volunteer army) to get to him.

It holds a special place in our hearts for it involved some really fun tasks and Jaaved Jaaferi¡¯s fabulous Hindi commentary. This was one cult show that hasn¡¯t failed to attain love from the masses in the past three decades. So much so that sometime ago, there were reports of it returning on our TV screens and that it was being shot in Thailand. While there¡¯s still ambiguity over the credibility of the comeback, we cannot help but relive the happy memories all over again. Looks like so is Jaaferi:

Someone just sent me this.. Nostalgiaaaah !!!
Takeshi's Castle Hindi Dubbed Javed Jaffrey Voice HD https://t.co/dJOKFjr5xo via @YouTube

¡ª Jaaved Jaaferi (@jaavedjaaferi) March 5, 2020

Jaaved Jaaferi might have brought a dance revolution with Boogie Woogie but with Takeshi¡¯s Castle he brought joyfulness and merriment.

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Aired on POGO, India premiered a shortened version of this game show and it was narrated by Jaaved Jaaferi. He added his own chatpata desi flavour to this show which made it ten times more interesting than it already was. Before him several other comedians tried their hand at taking over the commentary but no one could achieve even half the success that Jaaferi did. He binded the nation with his savageness and unmatchable coming timing.

The tasks including Honeycomb Maze, Whack The Stack, Skipping Stones, Dragon Lake, Quake and several others were such eye-pleasers

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In Jaaferi¡¯s words - Iss Show Mein Jeetna, Military Training Se Bhi Zyada Mushkil Hai

We have to give it to the Japs, when it comes to coming out with something innovative, they prove to be in a league of their own. Just to remind you this show was created in the 80s, even then they had such amazing tasks that it boggled our minds. From evading ghosts in the Honeycomb Maze, holding on to dear life in Mushroom Trap to donning ridiculous wigs while trying to battle an earthquake, the tasks were all kinds of insane. Add JJ¡¯s commentary and rapchick replay to that and we had ourselves a high dose of entertainment.

'General Ke Jaanbaaz', evil twins Changu Mangu, Pinky Mausi and 'Pandey Ji Ka Keechad', these phrases have been an integral part of our teenage life, courtesy Jaaferi

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Jaaved¡¯s commentary was full-blown desi and had its own pull. I remember my friends and I overusing his dialogue from the show - ¡®Oh ho, Jazbati¡¯ when we were in school. The show was flagged off by Jaaved saying - ¡®Aur yeh rahe General Lee, apne patthon ko saugandh khilate hue¡±.

We would instantly know that we are in for a fun ride. When someone got ambushed in the Honeycomb maze by the ghosts, he would say - ¡°Mooh Kala aur yeh ghar ko gaya laala¡±.

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It wasn¡¯t so much about the dialogues, but his timing and way he said it at the right moment. Jaaferi would troll the evil twins Changu and Mangu by calling them several names including ¡®chichhorre¡¯ and ¡®nikamme¡¯. Then there was Pinku Mausi, who would be the clumsiest contestant and shriek/yell more than actually performing. From Dominoes se girte deewane to Bridge Ball se tapakte parwane, a good part of our vacations were dedicated to this game show.

Call us greedy but while watching Ramayan, Mahabharat, Shaktimaan, Dekh Bhai Dekh and several other shows during the lockdown have given us immense happiness, we would really like to appeal to the people who own the rights of Takeshi¡¯s Castle Hindi to bring back this show and let us unwind with Jaaved Jaaferi and his fauj! It¡¯s the need of the hour.

In the mean time, enjoy one episode right here: