Well Done,Boman

What made this film special was working with director Shyam Benegal,who has been on his wishlist for long. And the icing on the cake,for the first time since his debut is that Irani headlines the cast in this one. “When I met Shyam Benegal for the first time,he told me that he had a lovely role for me. I thought it would be a character but when he told me that I will be playing Abba and it’s a double role,I was bowled over,” he says.

The next big step was to work on the character. “When you have bagged the lead role,you need to put your head down and justify the empowerment. Armaan Ali is just a simple guy and one had to make him interesting,and that was a challenge.” What made it more worthwhile was it came immediately after the success of 3 Idiots. “Viru Sahastrabuddhe was a more complex character; he has lot of baggage. But Armaan is a common man.”

The 53-year-old’s biggest strength has been his versatility and he will now showcase his talent in Sajid Khan’s comic caper Housefull,followed by Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai,Don 2 and Dostana 2. “Many people tell me that they have a role just for me. I tell them that I don’t want tailor-made roles. I want to work outside my comfort zone.”

Although he is in an enviable position where all filmmakers want a piece of his talent,Irani wants to continue doing all kinds of films. “It gives me joy. If I am not doing fun films,I will be completely consumed by frustration,” he says,adding,“My house and car have all come from doing these films.” And his roles have also helped him discover himself better. “I understood fatherhood much better after doing Mahatma vs Gandhi,and I got a better understanding of old age after I did the play I Am Not Bajirao,” says the talent powerhouse. “After all,acting is life. It can make you a little more compassionate,or can make you completely egoistic.”