Boman Irani
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Boman Irani (born 2 December 1959) is an Indian actor, photographer and voice artist who works predominantly in
Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
he has also worked in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...
,
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
,
Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
and
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
. He has acted in more than a 100 films in his career.


Early life

Irani was born on 2 December 1959, in Bombay (now
Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
) to an Irani
Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...
family. His father died 6 months before Irani was born (May 1959). Irani was
dyslexic Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...
, as well as having
ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by excessive amounts of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that are pervasive, impairing in multiple contexts, and otherwise age-inapp ...
and a
lisp A lisp is a speech impairment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , , , , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. Types * A frontal lisp occurs when the tongue is placed anterior to the target. Interdental lisping ...
, which he eventually overcame. His mother (b. 18 November 1926, d. 9 June 2021) often encouraged him to repeatedly watch movies at the Alexander Cinema—where he would go daily after school—to observe their cinematography and art. He finished his secondary schooling at St. Mary's School, after which he undertook a 2-year waiter course at
Mithibai College The Mithibai College of Arts, Chauhan Institute of Science & Amruthben Jivanlal College of Commerce and Economics is a college affiliated to the University of Mumbai. The college was established in 1961 in Vile Parle, Mumbai by Shri Vile Parle ...
in Mumbai. Following his polytechnic diploma course, he joined the
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower The Taj Mahal Palace is a heritage, five-star, luxury hotel in the Colaba area of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, situated next to the Gateway of India. Built in the Saracenic Revival style, it opened in 1903 as the Taj Mahal Hotel and has hist ...
where he worked as a waiter and in room service for two years. With a promotion, he became a waiter at the hotel's rooftop French restaurant, Rendezvous Until he was 32 years old, Irani also managed the bakery and
namkeen ''Namkeen'' (), is a 1982 Hindi-language social drama film, directed by Gulzar, it stars Sanjeev Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, Waheeda Rehman in the lead role. It was yet another film by Gulzar made on some very sensitive but untouched ...
shop that belonged to his mother—who took over from Irani's father after his passing—where he used to make and sell potato chips and tea. Located on Mumbai's
Grant Road Grant Road (named after Sir Robert Grant, the Governor of Bombay between 1835 and 1839, formally Maulana Shaukatali Road) is a locality in South Mumbai. Grant Road railway station serves this area. Grant Road along with Tardeo and Mumbai Centr ...
between Novelty Cinema and Apsara Cinema, this shop was also where Irani first met his mother-in-law.


Career


Photography career

While working at the
Taj Mahal Palace & Tower The Taj Mahal Palace is a heritage, five-star, luxury hotel in the Colaba area of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, situated next to the Gateway of India. Built in the Saracenic Revival style, it opened in 1903 as the Taj Mahal Hotel and has hist ...
, using the tips that he received, Irani bought a camera and took sports pictures (school cricket and football matches), selling them for 20 to 30
rupees Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...
, which he continued till well after marriage. His epiphany came when he saved money for seven years to take his family for their first ever vacation to
Ooty Ooty (), officially known as Udhagamandalam (also known as Ootacamund (); abbreviated as Udhagai), is a city and a municipality in the Nilgiris district of the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located north west of Coimbatore and so ...
, but they ended up in a desolate run-down hotel called Shawham Palace. Irani decided to take control of his life, and instead of living the petty existence of a photographer selling small photos, he would start to dream and live big and provide more for his family. Irani calls it his "zero number bulb moment". Irani continued to be a photographer, but now at the age of 32, went 6 months prior to the world boxing championships at Mumbai to meet Adajania, then-president of the Olympic Boxing Association of India, and requested to become the official photographer of the World Cup. When Adajania told him there was no need for him, Irani offered to work at his office for 6 months for free in return for a ring-side badge to cover the event. He continued to try to convince Adajania, and covered a state boxing match in a different manner than other photographers. Adajania was impressed by his photos and his passion and appointed Irani as the official photographer. Meanwhile, he became the photographer for the Norwegian boxing team and photographed specific photos that they needed of
Ole Klemetsen Ole "Lukkøye" Klemetsen (born 30 August 1971 in Stavanger, Norway) is a retired Norwegian boxer in the Light Heavyweight division. He was nicknamed "Mister Sandman" and the "Golden Viking". Amateur career He medaled twice at internation ...
. When asked about his charges, Irani asked for the international rate. Irani took the required photos with his K-1000.


Theatrical career

With acting having been a passion for Irani during his school and college days, he trained under acting coach Hansraj Siddhia from 1981 to 1983. Irani's mentor was
Alyque Padamsee Alyque Padamsee (5 March 1928 – 17 November 2018) was an Indian theatre personality and ad film maker. He played Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the 1982 British period film ''Gandhi''. Besides being involved in Indian theatre as an actor and produce ...
—the veteran theatre actor best known for his role as
Mohammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mono ...
in ''
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
''—whom he was introduced to by
Shiamak Davar Shiamak Davar is an Indian choreographer, noted as one of the first to bring contemporary jazz and western forms of dance to India.Versova. He followed this up with serials like ''Family Ties'' and ''Mahatma vs Gandhi'', playing
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
after the role was turned down by
Darshan Jariwala Darshan Jariwala (born 29 September 1958) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films, television and stage. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Gandhi, My Father''. He is popular for his show in which he was seen as ...
. His most illustrious play to date would be ''I Am Not Bajirao'' which ran for 10 years.


Film career

Irani moved to on-screen acting in 2000. He started out in a number of advertisements such as
Fanta Fanta is an American-owned German brand of fruit-flavored carbonated soft drinks created by Coca-Cola Deutschland under the leadership of German businessman Max Keith. There are more than 200 flavors worldwide. Fanta originated in Germany as ...
, Ambuja Cements, Ceat and Krack Jack biscuits (as Mr. Jack of the Krack and Jack duo). His small but significant role in ''
Darna Mana Hai ''Darna Mana Hai'' (English: ''Fear is Forbidden'') is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language anthology Horror film. The film consists of six different short stories. It stars Nana Patekar, Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani, Shilpa Shetty, Sameera Reddy, Is ...
'' earned him acclaim. The film was declared a hit, and he was one of the most remembered segments of the film along with
Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ma ...
. Irani gained attention for his role in the 2003 comedy ''
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. ''Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.'' () is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film written and directed by Rajkumar Hirani (in his directorial debut) and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It was the first installment of '' Munna Bhai series''. Releas ...
''. His role as J. Asthana earned him a
Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
nomination for Best Comedian. He later appeared in ''
Lage Raho Munna Bhai ''Lage Raho Munna Bhai'' (; ) is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language satirical comedy drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, who co-wrote the screenplay with Abhijat Joshi and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. It is the follow-up ...
'' for which he received several IIFA award nominations and in ''
3 Idiots ''3 Idiots'' (stylized as ''3 idiots'') is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, edited and directed by Rajkumar Hirani, co-written by Abhijat Joshi and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Adapted loosely from Cheta ...
'' opposite
Aamir khan Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan (; born 14 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works in Hindi films. Through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian ci ...
which earned him a
Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...
and a Star Screen Award for Best Actor in a Villainous Role. Irani hosted the
IIFA Awards The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...
, including in
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
with actor
Ritesh Deshmukh Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978) is an Indian actor, comedian, television presenter, writer, director and film producer. He is the son of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh. He works in Hindi and Marathi cin ...
in
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
;
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
in
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
;
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
in
Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
; and
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
in
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
. He also hosted the quiz show ''
Bollywood Ka Boss ''Bollywood Ka Boss'' is an Indian quiz show on the Sahara Filmy television channel hosted by Hindi film actor Boman Irani. Finalists # Ashutosh Mordekar (Mumbai) # Svetta Mohla (New Delhi) # Ravi Krishna (Hyderabad) # Sameen (Mumbai) # Mohit ...
''. He has been on ''
Kaun Banega Crorepati ''Kaun Banega Crorepati'' (also simply known as ''KBC'') is an Indian Hindi-language television game show. It is the official Hindi adaptation of the ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' franchise. It has been presented by actor Amitabh Bachchan ...
'' with
Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 100 films, ranging from romance to comedy genres, though u ...
, and has featured in OneTouch Glucose Meters TV commercials in 2015 with
Simone Singh Simone Singh (born 10 November 1974) is an Indian actress and model. Biography Singh was born in Jamshedpur on 10 November 1974. She made her acting debut with the television series '' Sea Hawks'' followed by a small role in ''Swabhimaan'', ...
. He launched his production house Irani Movietone in January 2019. Irani is about to make his directorial debut in 2022. In the same year, Irani appeared as Dr Balraj Kapoor in the series '' Masoom''. Boman Irani has been a
brand ambassador A brand ambassador (sometimes also called a corporate ambassador) is a person engaged by an organization or company to represent its brand in a positive light, helping to increase brand awareness and sales. The brand ambassador is meant to emb ...
of P Mark Oil by Puri Oil (Mills), Exotica, Kent RO, Ahead NGO, and Saffola. Currently, he is also on the
Board of Advisors An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...
of India's International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.).


Spiral Bound

In 2020, Irani began a masterclass named Spiral Bound with the aim of uniting amateur and professional screenwriters. Screenwriter
Alexander Dinelaris Alexander Dinelaris Jr. is a screenwriter. He is one of four who won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the 2014 film '' Birdman'' at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015. Dinelaris also wrote the book for the Broadway musical '' On You ...
conducted the first workshop of Spiral Bound. The masterclass continued in on as online sessions during the
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
pandemic. Guest speakers included playwright
Anosh Irani Anosh Irani (born 1974) is an Indo-Canadian novelist and playwright, born and raised in Mumbai. Education From 1998, Irani attended the University of British Columbia and received his bachelor's degree in creative writing in 2002. He has ...
and directors
Raju Hirani Rajkumar Hirani (born 20 November 1962), also called Raju Hirani, is an Indian filmmaker, director, producer and editor known for his works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several accolades, including three National Film Awards and eleve ...
,
Ram Madhvani Ram Madhvani is an Indian film director and producer known for his award-winning works in Hindi cinema, in the OTT space and in advertising. He is a-partner, director, and producer at Equinox Films, Ram Madhvani Films, and Equinox Virtual in p ...
, and
Shakun Batra Shakun Batra (born 1 January 1983) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. His first film was the romantic comedy ''Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu'' (2012). He followed this with '' Kapoor & Sons'' (2016) and Gehraiyaan (2022). Career Batra enter ...
Spiral Bound has completed more than 500 sessions.


Filmography


As actor


As dubbing artiste

*'' Teen Patti'' (2010) for Ben Kingsley


Awards


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Irani, Boman 1959 births Living people 20th-century Indian male actors 21st-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian photographers Irani people Male actors in Telugu cinema Indian male film actors Indian male voice actors Indian male stage actors Male actors in Hindi cinema Male actors from Mumbai Mithibai College alumni Filmfare Awards winners Screen Awards winners Zee Cine Awards winners International Indian Film Academy Awards winners