A large part of Boman Irani’s versatility comes from him getting the timbre of each word right, says Ayushi Sharma
If you ask someone what a supporting character is, chances are they wouldn’t say, “They are the ones who guide and help the protagonist.” The more likely answer would probably be, “They are the main character’s sidekick.” While these answers aren’t necessarily wrong, they are indeed unworthy and, moreover, disregard the vital part that character actors play in their respective stories. Sadly, too often we misunderstand what it means to be cast in such a role. There have been times when character roles were not even considered as a category. But today, there is a wave of change so much so that very often, it is these characters that determine whether the audience would queue up for a film or not.
What has fuelled this change is something that I want actor Boman Irani to delve into. I point out that of course, the way to steal the thunder is not by being over-the-top but nuanced to drive the plot but even before I can complete the thought, he interrupts and says, “You’re confusing, you know. They could be over-the-top too! They are very important. I think, some of the finest and most memorable roles have been done by character actors. For instance, Balraj Sahni, Motilal (Rajvansh), Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Anupam Kher... just look at these people. You are going to remember them for ever and ever. They are traditionally called supporting actors. But why? Because they support the lead! If there is no supporting actor, the lead cannot do it on his own. They are the base of any story. They are in the background, doing what they can to make things turn out well.”
The actor, voice artist and a photographer started his Bollywood journey quite late when most would say that it is the time to fade out in an actor’s career. Boman is a film industry outsider but the way he earned his acting spurs is a perfect example that age is just a number. Maybe, starting out late which enabled him to observe life and its players at close quarter for long is what made him one of the most versatile actors. This, in turn, has set him apart from the rest. So does starting late in his career adds a responsibility on his shoulders? Well, he says, “I don’t think films are meant for you to suddenly take a 180 degrees turn and say I have changed. It takes time. If you want to follow a film closely, it should resonate with you. In 3 Idiots, we were not trying to say that everybody must do creative engineering. Even today, students are trying to get perfect scores just to get into a good university. But to tell that little story, it has to connect with you. There has to be a higher thought, otherwise you’ll say it’s some film about college. How exciting is that? But if you relate to it, you automatically feel uplifted. You will follow a character and even if it doesn’t pertain to you, you would want that character to win.”
For him, films are not meant to change society. They are made for entertainment. However, he genuinely feels that as a human being, we have a responsibility towards society and entertainment too is a part of it. “If a film conveys a message, it can help to bring a small change in the society. But even if it is just meant for entertainment, people will be happy,” says he and asks whether I can imagine a society without entertainment? He points out that when in one of the states, films were shut down for a couple of months for some reason, the crime went up by an alarming rate. “Films are made for the sole purpose of calming people down. You vent out feelings. Either you feel uplifted or happy, maybe cry in between those two hours,” says he, emoting each just with the tone of his voice. In fact, his pitch changes with every second word he speaks. Boman is one such person who understands the importance of tone while conversing really well. He knows when to use a soothing tone or a hushed or a harsh one to convey the meaning fully.
“People from other countries say that Bollywood films are full of dance and music. So what? At least people enjoy that. What about them? They have only dark clouds. There’s nothing bad in it. But people can see how in our country, there are so many colours, family is important, our love for mother occupies a special space as does friendship. It’s all a part of our value system and we try to depict that. Kyun picture me dikhao ki evil person is victorious,” he says while I nod in agreement thinking of Thanos in Avengers: Endgame as he continues to speak, “An evil person will always be vanquished. Our films always have been a part of our values. And isn’t that right?”
It was Munna Bhai MBBS when Boman caught attention of the audience. His role in the comedy earned him his first Filmfare nomination for the Best Actor in a Comic Role. He went on to win the IIFA award for his performance. His role in Rajkumar Hirani’s 3 Idiots won him accolades from all corners of the film industry as well as the Filmfare and IIFA Award for the Best Actor in a Negative Role. Since then he has appeared in several hits like Houseful, Cocktail, Jolly LLB and Main Hoon Na. Now, he is set to display his acting chops with another powerhouse performance in Made in China, directed by Mikhil Musale. His role of a sexologist could make one think about all the social taboos around discussing sex problems in India. Boman says he’s a doctor at the end of the day. That’s his speciality. And that’s how he wanted to play the character. “The moment I say I am playing a sexologist, I got to be different and quirky... I am making it a greater taboo than it already is. He’s a doctor, please treat him like one,” he insists.
For instance, If you have a problem with your head, you’ll go to a neurologist or a psychologist. “Not you, my dear,” he guffaws while I get to see his classic humour live and adds, “Somebody who has! The people who go to sex clinics don’t think that there’s a taboo because they treat it as a problem. If you have a problem with your heart, (not you) won’t they go to a cardiologist? The crux of the film is not sex at all. It’s got to do with the hero’s journey. Sex is just a backdrop. Films always have a back story. It’s like saying Lagaan is a film about cricket. It’s not. It’s about oppression. People may say Munna Bhai MBBS is about medicine. No! It’s about how even a gunda can find redemption. Similarly, here, it’s about the lead character’s (played by Rajkummar Rao) desire for self-worth in life. He wants to be an entrepreneur. It’s not that he has a pure motive of earning money. He just wants to be accepted in the family. It’s about someone who tried 50 other ideas and did not succeed. And it’s every young man’s issue in this country. Everybody wants to be someone. He has a little formula soup. He comes to me to endorse it so we can sell and make millions. I ask him to hold it right there. I am not going to endorse it for no reason. There is a price that comes with it. I ask him to help me spread awareness. He agrees to the suggestion and gets himself a deal. We have something to move ahead. That’s what the film is about.”
Boman feels that awareness about sex is a huge step because there is so much ignorance on the subject. He was shocked to learn that even the medical fraternity is confused about certain issues related to it. He says, “There could be various reasons for simple sex related problem like impotency but it’s always piled on the woman. It can also be the man’s problem. They just refuse to accept that there can be something wrong with the ‘male’ clan. It could simply be because people do not know how to copulate. Believe it or not but it’s true. Where do you go for all these things? To a doctor, right?”
Well, there are as many doctors as there are voices of Boman.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar