Boman Irani recounts his journey from being a waiter at the Taj Mahal Hotel to becoming a popular face in Indian cinema
Noted actor Boman Irani shared his journey from a waiter at the Taj Mahal hotel to selling insurance policies and now being considered one of the finest actors in the country. Reminiscing his part, he initiated the second edition of Signature Start Up Masterclass, a unique platform to inspire and enable those who want to follow their passion and make a mark for themselves.
Born in a traditional Parsi family, Irani’s life has was never easy. From being encouraged by his mother to watch movies and learn the art of film making, to support her at their ancestral bakery until the age of 32, Boman also worked as a waiter at a hotel and saved money to buy his first professional camera. However, a chance to cover the Boxing World Cup as the official photographer changed his life forever and hasn’t looked back since then. Boman also had keen interest in acting during his early days and went on to train under Hansraj Siddhia as a professional actor. He considers Alyque Padamsee as his mentor for having introduced him to formal theatre. His most illustrious play till date has been I am not Bajirao which ran for 10 years. He had his first brush with stardom post the success of the comedy Munna Bhai MBBS where his role as J Asthana earned him a filmfare nomination for Best Comedian.
Speaking at the event, Irani said, “There was a point in life where I was content with selling photographs for a meagre 20-30 rupees, but the day I decided I had to do something big, which I call it my Zero Number Moment, I followed my passion of photography and acting to taste success.I have been lucky to have restarted my life at 32, but I sincerely hope everyone who were part of my masterclass today do not have to wait for so long to follow their passion and turn it into a career.”