Boman Irani on his struggle, recalls always smelling of ‘ghee’ as he ran a wafers shop: ‘My wife told me to wear it as a badge of honour’

Actor Boman Irani recently talked about his days of being a middle-class shopkeeper and smelling of 'ghee' always.

New Delhi | December 19, 2023 04:29 PM IST

3 min read

Boman Irani talks about the struggles of his life. (Photo: Boman Irani/Instagram)

Bollywood actor Boman Irani, best known for his roles in Munna Bhai MBBS and 3 Idiots, will soon be seen in Shah Rukh Khan-led Dunki. The actor recently opened up about his struggles, which he faced at every step of life, even after becoming a successful actor. But he admitted that success was ‘tastier’ when it came after a lot of hard work. Boman also talked about his days of being a middle-class shopkeeper and smelling of ‘ghee’ always.

In the latest podcast for Jist, Boman remembered living in a house where he could see the sky through the roof. He said, “I didn’t have a house in my name till I was 47. There was a time when my building had to be repaired because I could see the sky from my bed. Life can be cruel, childhood can be cruel. Some people get it easy. But it is tastier when it comes hard.” Despite facing hardships, the actor never gave up, as he believed that would be him being “cruel” to himself.

When the interviewer asked him if it has become easier to fantasise about struggle after becoming successful, Boman denied it. He said, “I am still struggling for my art, my craft. I went from door to door facing rejections because I wanted to do something unique. So, I have a sense of rejection also. Just because I have got a certain stature today, it doesn’t mean that people will tell me, ‘You write anything, we will make it.’ There is rejection even today.”

Also read | Shah Rukh Khan says Boman Irani got an ironic character in Dunki: ‘I think it was very difficult for him to do’

Despite rejections, Boman has managed to earn enough money to be comfortable in life, though he doesn’t associate money with happiness. “I was a happy person when I didn’t have money. I used to make jokes out of it,” he said.

Sharing his experience of being a middle-class shopkeeper, the actor said, “I was a shopkeeper for 14 years and I used to smell of ‘ghee’ and potatoes. I felt odd about it. But, my wife used to tell me to wear it like a badge of honour, ‘It is ok if your body smells of ghee’. We used to fry wafers at our shop, even if you take a shower five times, that smell won’t go away. But I was successful being a middle-class shopkeeper, though I wanted something else from life. I wanted to be an actor and director.”

Also read | Boman Irani recalls how Shah Rukh Khan made him feel ‘at ease’ during Main Hoon Na: ‘He said just knock on my door if you need anything’

In Dunki, Boman will be seen essaying the role of an English coach who is not so proficient in the language. The film, which releases in theatres on December 21, also stars Taapsee Pannu and Vicky Kaushal.

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