Jaaved Jaaferi is the only good thing about this dilapidated game show

TITLE: Lava Ka Dhaava CAST: Jaaved Jaaferi PLATFORM: Netflix RATING: ★★

For all the millennials and the early Gen Z kids, Jaaved Jaaferi holds a special place. Back in the ’90s, not only was he winning hearts showing off his dance moves in Boogie Woogie, but also making everyone go ROFL with his hilarious commentary to the dubbed Japanese game show, Takeshi’s Castle. Now, he is back to do the same with the Netflix show, Lava Ka Dhaava.

Jaaved Jaaferi’s voice is terrific even today, and the way he modulates his tone with varied accents is sure to crack you up. His usage of the Marathi dialect mixed with a bit of Gujarati and a tinge of Bengali, makes it even funnier. Chances are that you would catch yourself being engrossed in his commentary rather than keeping up with the chaotic goings-on on the screen. With just his multifaceted voice, he makes this game show come alive. He is fantastic.

But, can I say the same about the game show? Sadly NO! It’s an old and dilapidated concept of a game show, which even the ’90s kids wouldn’t want to see today. The traps and the obstacles shown in each episode get too boring after you have seen the first team perform. By the time the second and the third team are performing you’ll be left yawning. While the show wants to make you relive the joys of Takeshi’s Castle, it fails miserably. The swiftness of Takeshi’s Castle is missing. Contestants are not running constantly and falling into the water aka Lava. They are sitting or standing and taking long pauses to think whether or not they should make a certain jump. This makes the episodes long and boring.

Indeed Jaaferi’s tremendous dubbing boosts the show, but for the fans of Takeshi’s Castle this is a big let-down; and for the rest, why even bother? Maybe hear it as a podcast just to enjoy Jaaved Jaaferi quirky commentary; sadly Netflix doesn’t give you that option.

I am going with 1.5 stars, just for Jaaved Jaaferi’s brilliance.