Sunil Dutt failed to recognise Boman Irani at Munna Bhai premiere despite shooting with him, asked who he was: ‘Is he some pesky fan?’

Stating that he was intimidated to scream on a senior artist like Sunil Dutt in a scene in Munna Bhai MBBS, he shared, “Then, I did one very experimental films before I did a commercial film, which was Munna Bhai. It was intimidating for me. Not because of the camera, set or anything else. It was because Sunil Dutt walks onto the set. I had to sit, scream, and yell at him? I have to scream at Dutt sahab?”

The actor added, “So much anger, and he is standing there with a stick, and he’s looking at his son, who I am admonishing. Its very difficult. Then you go back to the truth of the moment. How truthful are you in that moment? The moment I am going to allow myself to be intimidated, in veering away from the moment. That happens in everything we do. Working with Dutt sahab on day one was scary.”

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Moreover, the late actor initially thought that Boman Irani was older to him, because of his bald look in the movie. “He thought I am older than him, because I was wearing that wig, and had shaved off my head. He tells me, ‘Doctor sahab aaiye, lines karte hain’. He wanted to rehearse and I was petrified,” he said.

However, to his surprise, even Dutt was scared to face the camera after an acting hiatus. “He then told me something disarming and beautiful. He said softly, ‘Can I tell you something? I am very nervous.’ I wanted to tell him, ‘You are nervous? What do you think in going through?’ He then said that he is facing the camera after 16 years. He was just feeling little things have changed,” Boman revealed.

He continued, “There’s great honesty and humility in that. He was willing to accept the fact that he was nervous. I told him that we will be fine. He was a man of grace, presence, and that beautiful face.”

Later on, at the premiere night of Munna Bhai, Sunil Dutt couldn’t recognise him because he came with his original hair, without any wig. “He didn’t recognise me at the premiere. I felt bad that he was being distant from me. He asked another guys while pointing at me, ‘Who’s this guy who is insisting on standing over here while I’m talking to you? Like he’s some buddy of mine or some pesky fan’,” he shared.

“Then the person told him that I am Boman Irani. He then recognised me and  said, ‘Arey doctor sahab’. Then be hugged me and said that I should call up once in a while. That kind of made me feel that I belonged, it’s important. That stayed with me,” the actor concluded.