An unlikely Gandhi

Boman Irani as M K Gandhi is a far cry from Ben Kingsley's greasepainted little saint: he's a tall and imposing figure who displays littl...

Boman Irani as M K Gandhi is a far cry from Ben Kingsley’s greasepainted little saint: he’s a tall and imposing figure who displays little of the humility which Attenborough’s version of the story gave us. And this version of the man, unsurprisingly, is more interesting..," wrote Nic Paul in Mail and Guardian, Durban.

High praise for an actor who had the unenviable task of filling theatre stalwart Naseeruddin Shah’s shoes in a play that had received rave reviews while touring America and UK. In a role of a lifetime,Boman had replaced Shah as Bapu in Feroz Khan’s Mahatma Vs Gandhi. Standing well over six feet and weighing over 99 kg, Boman the photographer appeared to be an unlikely choice to play the frail Mohandas. But producer-director Khan (who also plays Bapu’s son Harilal) had made his decision. With only 45 days till the play opened in Durban, losing weight became his top priority. He also cut down on walking as it strengthened his calves — a musculature that wouldn’t fit with Bapu’s image — andswitched to a different exercise regime. Boman also started to stoop to look shorter. And finally, on stage, he looked up at Feroz, in spite of being taller than him, by dwarfing himself. "More than the voice, accent and mannerisms I wanted to get the essence of the man right," says Boman. He spent hours at the SNDT University, listening to cassettes, watching tapes, reading books and surfing the internet.

In the process of discovery Boman discovered that the young Gandhi used his hands a lot, while speaking, to punctuate a point. Boman decided to do the same and even though Western acting frowns on excessive use of extremities — the hands and the face — it worked for the play. And the critics. Robert Greig, wrote in The Sunday Independent: "Boman Irani, who plays Mahatma, uses his hands incessantly, describing graceful curves and arcs in the air: a kind of parallel dialogue with his voice and body. The movements break the line of the body, create a shimmering effect, a magic around him…"A magic thatdrew in the audiences, too. Gandhi Virudh Gandhi ran to 21 houseful shows and received a critic’s rating of nine out of 10 for each show. Playhouse Drama even had to put in extra chairs to accommodate the thronging crowds. And while theatre is known to provide an immediate response, the reaction here was instant’ — gasps, sobs and comments like "how sad", "a mother will be a mother after all" — accompanied each show, adding to the actor’s confidence. Boman’s most memorable show was one for senior citizens, where they got a chance to meet the audience after the show. "It was so touching. They were not there to meet Bapu, Kasturba or Harilal, but to meet the actors Boman, Jayati and Feroz who played the roles," he says.

But they had their share of lighter moments as well. In a scene where Bapu had to say to Ba, "So, you will even feed him meat even if he is obstinate?" Boman would trip over the lines. When said slowly the lines would come out fine but said fast, would turn into a tongue twister. And allthrough the shows, Boman invariably said, "So you will edam feedam meat…" and the whole cast break into a smile at a particularly tense moment. "I bungled it every time and it used to upset Jayati’s equilibrium terribly," laughs Boman.

He is going to get another chance to try and say his lines right, though. The Playhouse Drama company has invited the play back for a three-week tour in January 1999. And Boman’s Bapu is simply raring to go.