Actor Boman Irani is taking on new roles —
from acting to scripting, directing and producing
Farrokh Jijina
"To be meaningful, films have to be structured properly… which is why a good script is necessary… Meaningful movies are those that move one… those that remain with one for long,” believes actor-photographer Boman Irani. His "lifelong desire to write for and direct films” has found expression with the launch of his production house Irani Movietone (IM), the stage and screen actor told Parsiana over coffee at his office in Dadar on February 5, 2019.
Irani is unsure if future audiences will see him more in producer-director-writer roles or on screen as an actor. "I have set out to be a director-writer to have creative control on my work… the production house is a means to get there… We will do one film at a time…And I also need to find time to indulge my passion for photography.”
The first script owned by IM, launched on January 24, is one that Irani wrote six years ago, about a father-son relationship. "Moving from acting to screen writing is not a natural progression… Learning to write for the screen is not easy… you need to have the correct structural grid (sequencing) in mind… It is like you need to perfect the alphabet before learning to make sentences,” he believes.
A simulated projection room in the film unveiling the logo (inset) of his production house
Amitabh Bachchan (center) with (from far l) Ziaan, Danesh, Reah, Zenobia,
Boman and Kayoze Irani at launch of Irani Movietone; Alexander Dinelaris Jr
"The more I read it, the more I felt it needed rework… It did not meet my requirements in my head… I interacted with various writers in India and overseas to polish it up,” he told us. Calling himself "lucky” that realization came that his script needed redoing, Irani leans back on his sofa and says, "I am ready to go ahead with it now… It is worthy of (being made into) a film.” He hopes that the film will go into production in 2019. Availability of the right actors is critical. "Of course, I will be in it,” he responds to our half-complete question!
"I don’t believe in time lines,” said the actor, when asked about how long IM was in the making. "If I did, I would have become an actor much earlier in life…I would have taken to writing much earlier… and not be a grandfather making a debut in a new field,” he guffawed. (Irani’s son Danesh and his wife Reah are parents to Ziaan and Sysha.) Fifty-nine-year old Irani made his acting debut when he was well into his thirties, after early forays in the family’s potato chips business, and in hospitality. Accolades came his way from his 10-year run on stage starting 1996 as Dhanjisha Batliwala in Rage Productions’ I’m not Bajirao, and the 2003 film Munna Bhai M. B. B. S., which earned him a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor in a Comic Role.
Among his all-time favorite movies he lists Kramer vs Kramer, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Dog Day Afternoon from Hollywood and Hindi cinema’s Golmal, Pyaasa and Amar, Akbar, Anthony.
Among the screenwriters that Irani interacted with while polishing his script was Alexander Dinelaris Jr who co-wrote 2014’s black comedy Birdman. The film won the Best Original Screenplay award at that year’s Academy Awards. Their meeting six years ago was based on "common interest… He was not a celebrated writer then… We have similar ideas on what screen writing is all about.” He is like a brother to me, Irani told The Indian Express of January 24.
Dinelaris was present at the launch of IM and conducted a six-hour script writing workshop titled "Spiral Bound,” which Irani called "the mainstay of the launch.” Of the participants, which included both experienced and fresh writers, Irani will handpick and mentor six of the best. There will be call for 10 pages of proposed scripts which will be judged by Irani and other stalwarts in the industry, he said. Wanting to make the screen writing workshop an annual feature of IM’s calendar, the actor said, "We want to be a house that will encourage development of scripts, and assist with reworking until a final product is ready.” Other plans include visiting faculty for future students of the workshops. "This cross-cultural exchange has to be a movement… Has to be done to open up minds to new ideas,” he said. In today’s celebrity-obsessed age, wouldn’t a Page-3 party for the launch of his production house have drawn more eyeballs? "But it did get the eyeballs. In fact, I am happy that it got the right eyeballs,” he counters.
"Old-world tonality”
"Come see the model (of the IM logo),” invited Irani, taking us to another room in his office to view the 4ft x 4ft, 150-kg model. A stylized representation of the farohar stands atop a Persian-looking pillar. The words "Irani Movietone” in an art-deco font, reminiscent of the early days of cinema, are placed on the farohar. "The logo comes from my childhood memories… It comes from (Parsi-Irani owned) Imperial Movietone, Wadia Movietone and Minerva Movietone… Alexandra Cinema [once owned by movie mogul Ardeshir Irani (see "Underexposed filmmaker,” Parsiana, May 7, 2018)] was my hangout… It was my snack bar for chai after school (St Mary’s)… The projection room was the one place I was most curious about,” narrated Boman.
A 30-second, black and white film directed by television and cinema director Ram Madhwani was used to unveil the IM logo. Irani says, "I could well have created a digital logo and shown it at the J. W. Marriott (Hotel), but no, I had to do it the old-fashioned way… I wanted that old-world tonality.” A set specially created by art-designer Fali Unwalla; music composed by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy; a real-life prop in the form of a movie projector borrowed from Edward Cinema; a projectionist named Jehangir Karkaria ["he even gave me pehramni (money gift envelope) at the shoot”]; two children being invited to peek at the emerging logo: all these elements went into the two-day shoot for the film. Danesh produced the film while his brother Kayoze assisted with the direction. "In a sense, the little boy with the school bag in the film unveiling the logo is me,” Boman stated.
Cine star Amitabh Bachchan was shooting in Nagpur when Boman messaged him with a request to present the IM logo to the Press and select guests. "I got a response in the next 10 minutes saying, ‘For you Boman, any time!’” At the event, Bachchan said, "I want to work with you, don’t upstage me again,” according to news reports. The Boman-Bachchan duo has been seen in at least three films — Waqt, Lakshya and Bhootnath Returns.
Boman and his wife Zenobia’s gift of a bespoke embroidered pashmina shawl to an "extremely moved” Bachchan earned them a response of "This is the best gift I have received in my 50 years in the industry,” from the senior film star, beamed Boman. The year 2019 marks the golden jubilee of the release of Bachchan’s first film, Saat Hindustani. Boman worked with calligraphist Achyut Palav and Delhi based designer Ashdeen Lilaowala on the traditional shawl embellished with gara embroidery. The special touch was "Everlasting light” embroidered on its border in 15 languages. One of the many meanings of "Amitabh” is everlasting light, Boman informed us.
"I was really excited when I got a call from Boman to craft a unique shawl for Bachchan that truly represented our Parsi culture,” Lilaowala told Parsiana on February 6. "We decided to embroider a rich maroon pashmina with off white patterns — a typical and auspicious Parsi combination,” he stated. "It was remarkable to see Boman’s passion and involvement in the project. He was extremely patient and trusted me completely with the design. Achyut gave us a brilliant calligraphic artwork which made our job easier,” the designer noted. Not overly complaining of the "only 15 days (they had) to complete this Herculean project,” the positive side was that "the craftsmen were very excited that they were making this shawl for … Bachchan!”
Bachchan’s fondness for Parsis "comes from his knowing me,” shared Boman. The future screenplay writer says he "sticks to the basic good thoughts, good words, good deeds” mandate. To him, being a Parsi also involves "being fastidious (‘I mean it in a good way’), punctual at work, and conscientious… And, yes, you have to be a little ‘nuts’ about what you do.”