Boman Irani feels that people should not react to the stereotypical portrayal of Parsis in Indian cinema and should consider it as a form of entertainment. On a recent trip to the city, he spoke about his community and how difficult it is for him to portray his own kind in a film. Arjita Mishra reports
Actors today debut on the silver screen at, what, 18IJ But not Boman Irani. He started his career in Bollywood at a time when most actors stop taking up big projects — 40. Be it J Astana in Munna Bhai MBBS or Viru Sahastrabuddhe in 3 Idiots, every character that Boman Irani portrayed on-screen seemed tailor-fitted for him. And why notIJ Before he took his first step on the road to stardom, he made sure to brush up his skills real good on the theatre stage.
“I do my homework before going for shoot and may be that is one of the reasons why everyone liked me in Munna Bhai or in 3 Idiots or in any other film. I try to do something different and unique with each of my films,” said the actor, his eyes twinkling.
Irani was in the Capital for The Everlasting Flame International Programme, that celebrated the multicultural ethos of the Parsi-Zoroastrian community at IIC.
Present at the event, he spoke about the his role in the film Ferrari Ki Sawaari, where he portrayed a Parsi character. “A lot of the credit goes to the director, Rajesh Mapuskar because he has a unique fascination towards the Parsi community,” the actor said and gave us details about Mapuskar’s love for Parsis. “He assisted Raju Hirani in three movies — Munna Bhai MBBS, lage Raho Munna Bhai and 3 Idiots. And if you notice closely, all of these films had a Parsi character. He coordinated for those small yet significant characters. He used to do research, meet Parsi people and befriend them, especially the elder ones,” he paused to take a break.
“After that, the idea of making a movie on the community struck him and he wanted to compile it with his love for Sachin Tendulkar. At that time, only Sachin owned a Ferrari in India and he came up with the plot of what would to happen if the car came in the hands of a middle class man. That is how the film was made,” he elaborated.
For years, Indian cinema has stereotyped either a community or a place — like Goans were, most of the times, seen as a peace-loving, goofy family, speaking wrong English. And this bothers Irani. “There was more to the stereotypical portrayal of Parsis in Hindi films, which depicted by-and-large a Parsi as a middle-aged man with six children and a car. And there were were other films, which explored other shades of the community,” he said.
Many a times due to such picturisation, people get offended but Irani advises them to take it easy. “It is just entertainment at the end of the day,” he laughed and gave the example of one of his movies Being Cyrus, a movie about a dysfunctional Parsi family. It drew a lot of flak when it released but Irani sees nothing offensive about it. “The movie narrated the story of a Parsi family where all the members were grey. But there is nothing offensive in it. Aren’t there families with grey shadesIJ” the actor justified.
Since he is so well-versed in the daily life of a Parsi, perhaps it is difficult for him to make a dramatic representation of what is, in essence, his everydayness. “It is difficult to pull off those roles as I don’t look, speak or walk like them. You have to be who you are not and it takes a lot of research and detailing,” he pointed out.
When Irani was asked about what he thought the reason was for no Parsi sportsperson, he gave us quite a response. “Firstly, there is a very less ratio of Parsis in India and secondly, Parsis have done so well in their lives that now they have become a little more comfortable than before,” he reasoned and drew us a clear picture, “When people from smaller towns come to Mumbai they struggle for their dreams and living. Parsis have got nice houses with lower rents.”
The actor recounted how he met a talented Parsi cricketer who plays Under-19 for the state. “It’s not the case that talent is not there, but, parents would say leave cricket and take a comfortable job,” he explained.
According to him talent is not the only thing which makes one successful in his life. “You need to work hard to achieve your goal. If you don’t work hard, your talent will not help you to make your way into the field where you belong. Both the things are equally important,” he summed up.
photo Pankaj Kumar