There is not a single dull moment with Boman Irani around. He will manage to sprinkle some humour no matter how serious a conversation gets. Humour is his way of life and it is no secret. On his recent visit to Calcutta for a Ladies Study Group event, t2 exclusively caught up with the actor-filmmaker to talk about humour, Calcutta and more.
Calcutta as a city has a special place in the heart of the Bollywood fraternity. What is it that you love about the city?
I think what Calcutta has done over the years is that while it has had modernisation, it has retained a lot of its old-world charm. If we drive around its streets, the monuments and everything make us feel we are a little back in time. However, the modernisation is wonderful, and at the same time, there is something about the old houses, the old paras, the culturally famous foods and sweets, and of course, a very high rate of literacy. You speak to people, you are assured that you will have a conversation that is not frivolous. There will be depth in it. It always had a place in the heart of Bollywood because a slew of great artistes made their way from here. I want to mention one of the greatest artistes who stayed all his life in Calcutta but inspired us all... Satyajit Ray. And for me, he is a huge inspiration. There are so many great filmmakers and artistes from here who have enriched our industry.
Is this visit in any way more special because you are here with your friend Rajkumar Hirani?
We were speaking in the same vein when we were going to a friend’s place for dinner yesterday. In a similar way, we were looking out of the window and observing that there’s a charm to it while in the endeavour to modernise. It did not eliminate the history. It is a line we both kind of shared. This is the first time I have come with Raju here but I have come here many times before. He came and watched my film three nights ago and we did not discuss it after the screening at home because there were others. Calcutta will be special for me because the film that I directed, we discussed it at length on the streets of Calcutta. We went about till the wee hours in the morning about this shot and that shot, this cut and that cut.
Is there a place that’s a must-visit for you when you come to the city?
It is a street. I consider the heart and artery of Calcutta to be Park Street and there is Trincas where Usha (Uthup) used to sing, and then there’s The Park hotel which used to be the hub at one time. I have friends who live on Kyd Street, right behind Park Street. Somehow, driving through this lane reminds me of when I first came to Calcutta. I am talking about 1976, which was my first visit. It was at least half a century ago. All we did was eat and walk and chat. Those memories never leave you. Every time I pass by that road I see my young friends walking on that street, my young self walking on those streets and it brings back great memories.
Humour is something that people instantly associate with you and when we go through your Instagram it feels like Boman Irani lives one humorous day at a time. What’s humour to you and how do you look at it?
(Laughs) Does it feel like that? Humour is a weapon. Weapon is a bad word to use. But humour is a good weapon in any situation. Whether you want to break the ice or you want to ease tension, bored or having an argument, I think humour just dissipates everything around it and is a great way to remain healthy as far as I am concerned. These are my belief systems. Whether I am right or wrong I don’t know. But for me, humour is something that I use as a go-to to breathe because if I am not humorous or rather I don’t know how to see the lighter side of it, I feel something is wrong with me and I feel unhealthy. So, unless and until I say something light… it doesn’t have to be hugely funny, has to be lighter, not taking the world too seriously. Like I am completely against my belief systems right now trying to sound intelligent, where there’s no humour in it (we all laugh)… but here it is, it is injected already.
For me, even in the early days of marriage when couples seem to have a little bit of mommy-daddy issues… humour is always a tool to break or throw away the stickiness. It helps me calm down and helps me remain healthy. May not be physical but hopefully helps me to stay younger. When you become older, you are expected to speak wise. But while you speak wise, it is also important to speak alive. Speaking wise is different and speaking alive is different and I just like the idea of… when people come with problems and I am called to help… I go armed with humour. I don’t go with wise solutions because everybody knows the solution. Everybody knows the problem and knows this needs to be done. But if you go armed with humour, they will listen to you.
Is living life easier when you look at it through the lens of humour or sometimes difficult too? Did you ever have a foot-in-the-mouth moment?
I don’t get offensive. Foot in the mouth can happen even when I am not trying to be funny. It can happen without humour also. It can happen while ordering food! I don’t play on the edge. I play light.
Who from your fraternity do you think shares your sense of humour and you love bonding with through humour?
My favourite person in that sense is Johnny (Lever). I just love being with him. I behave like a little kid in his presence, asking him to tell me anecdote after anecdote. Riteish (Deshmukh) has got a wonderful sense of humour. Farhan (Akhtar) too. Farah (Khan) also. Anupam Kher can tell a story well. Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) tells stories and anecdotes very well. So these are the guys I love listening to and believe it or not, for a change, I do keep quiet. (Laughs)
Everyone admires your friendship with Rajkumar Hirani. Has the friendship evolved over the years?
We hit it off on day one and it has been the same since. It has evolved in the sense that it endured. The camaraderie, the familiarity and the fact that we can repeat each other without anyone getting offended. There is no difference. It is just that over a period of time, over different worldviews it has never drifted. It has endured over time but I don’t know how it evolved. It remains the same over the years.
You are all set with your directorial debut for this year called The Mehta Boys. How excited are you for this new journey?
Very excited. Everyone told me shooting my first film is going to be very difficult and it is so much of a headache, I will get frustrated but I felt nothing. I felt great. All my life, ever since I was a kid, I wanted to make a movie. And I am finally making a movie, why should I be miserable? Why should it be a difficult thing to do? You prepare well and work hard all your life. I am very excited because it is a film that I wanted to make and I felt if I would not have made this film and went elsewhere, I would have been very disappointed. I saw it inside my head, in front of my eyes, sometimes while sleeping and while awake about how I wanted it as a story. Whether it is good or not, I don’t know. It is the one I love. It is an experience that I want the world to see. It is relatable in the sense every single person who has a pulse on him or her will relate with this film.
From being a photographer to an actor and now a filmmaker, you rediscovered yourself in every decade of your life. What would be your message to the youngsters?
For me, I play the game a little slower as I feel I don’t have to go out there saying I need to be successful tomorrow. When I joined the theatre, I didn’t need to be successful in my first play. I needed to have that growth. If you are not willing to have that journey… the intention is not to be successful or famous. It is to understand the complexity of theatre, the complexity of acting. So, when I became a cinema actor, I never bargained that my first film would be a runaway hit. It just so happened. Even if it weren’t, I would have continued to enjoy the process.
Like writing. I started writing a decade back. I think the last decade would be my writing experience. I devoted hours and hours towards writing. On Instagram, I already did 700 episodes of Spiral Bound where I teach screenwriting. It is the experience of teaching and sharing. It is free. I don’t know how we can attach success to it in the sense we define success. The definition of success invariably is fame and money. For me, Spiral Bound is a huge success. There is no fame and there is no money. The next decade for me is a director. I am a writer who converted his writing story into a directorial story. You are right. Every decade I experience a new side of myself and make a conscious effort in that sense to grow.