Don't let other people decide my diary and timeline: Boman Irani on directing a film at 65

Mumbai: Actor Boman Irani says it is not a "big deal" that he has turned a director at 65 with The Mehta Boys as there is no correct age to pursue one's dreams.

Irani, who made his acting debut with Rajkumar Hirani's Munnabhai M.B.B.S in 2003 and before that worked as a waiter at a top hotel, did photography and managed his mother's bakery shop, said it’s important to embrace one’s desires regardless of the timelines set by others.

"Since childhood, I always thought that someday I was going to be a director. I don't understand this stereotype that a person becomes an actor at 25 and a director at 35. I don't let other people decide my diary and timeline, I’ll do it when I’m ready. I don’t advise people to wait till they are 65 to make their debut, I don’t but for me, that was the way to go. I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Irani told PTI in an interview.

Irani, known for his performance in movies such as Lage Raho Munnabhai, Khosla Ka Ghosla, 3 Idiots, Don Dunki and Unchai, said he has always wanted to do a lot more things in his life whether it is acting, directing or writing.

"If you don’t have a great 'want', you don’t have a story to tell. I don’t look at it that I’m 65. I do what I want to and I do what I enjoy." In his directorial debut “The Mehta Boys”, Irani explores the complexities of family relationships and the emotional intricacies of a father-son bond.

The actor-director credited his filmmaker friend, Sujoy Ghosh, for giving him the basic idea of a father-son story for the movie, which is written by Irani along with the Academy Award-winning writer Alexander Dinelaris of “Birdman” fame.

“Sujoy Ghosh gave me the one line of this film. There’s a guy called Karl Wadia, when I was researching architecture, I would sit and blow his brains and ask, ‘What’s the implication of glass and steel versus this particular stone’, he is an architect, he had to be thanked.

"Raju Hirani is someone I need to thank as over the years, I’ve been speaking to him (about the film) and about life. Raju is a big part of my life, and so is Ram (Madhvani). Their names have to be there; they are important to me.” Irani, who began working on the story of “The Mehta Boys” about eight years ago, said he kept rewriting the story but with the basic plot intact.

“I’ve seen this relationship explored differently, like ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ and it was an amazing father-son story. This (‘Mehta Boys’) is different, it is about a man sliding down and a man trying to become someone and they are clashing in between.

"I liked the idea of a theory called family romance, where a kid looks at his father and says, ‘He is an image of god. My dad is a hero’, then suddenly not so much of a hero because he shouts and beats. Masculinity comes into play and when that happens, we are tapping into egos. And when egos come into the game, then we are looking at trouble, so that is what I was exploring.” In the movie, Irani plays the role of the father, Avinash Tiwary is his son, “Bandish Bandits” fame Shreya Chaudhry is Tiwary’s girlfriend and Puja Sarup is Irani’s daughter.

Irani’s philosophy of “want” plays a crucial role in “The Mehta Boys”, and he says the characters possess strong desires and it’s their want that drives the narrative forward.

“…She (Puja) wants to fix them (father and son), she (Shreya) wants him (Avinash) to be the best version of himself, she might even succeed, but he (Avinash) needs to get over his wound and not be afraid to be the man he wants to be.” The film does not limit itself to just a father-son story, Irani said, adding that it reflects universal themes of relationship struggles and is hoping that everybody will resonate with it.

“It is not a father-son story, it could be a girlfriend-boyfriend or mother-daughter or two friends and you don’t know what is going on, we are using the father-son dynamic to tell a particular kind of story,” the actor-turned-director said.

The Mehta Boys is produced by Irani, his son Danesh Irani, Vikesh Bhutani, and Shujaat Saudagar under the banner of Irani Movietone LLP in association with Chalkboard Entertainment LLP.