Noted actor Boman Irani best known for his performances in movies like ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ believes that people should not get “offended by movies as they are entertainment at the end of the day”. “We must accept how we are and we must not get offended by it. Cinema is entertainment at the end of the day,” the 56-year-old actor said. Irani, was here recently to participate in the ongoing Everlasting Flame International Programme that celebrates the multicultural ethos of the Parsi-Zoroastrian community.
The multifaceted actor said there was more to the stereotypical portrayal of Parsis in Hindi films, which depicted by-and-large a Pari as a middle-aged man with six children and a car, and that now there were other films, which explored the different shades of the community. “Being Cyrus told a specific story about a Parsi family with all the members being grey. There is nothing to take offence in it. Aren’t there families with grey members?” he said. Irani who essayed the role of Parsi in ‘Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi’ and ‘Ferrari Ki Sawari’ among others believes that being a Parsi does not make it easy for him to play those characters. “It is difficult to pull off those roles as I don’t look like them, speak or walk like them. You have to be who you are not and it takes a lot of research and detailing,” Irani said.
Taking about acting like any other job, the photographer-turned actor said more than acting it was the process of preparing for the role that he enoys the most. “Parsis have done so well in their lives, but now they have become a little more comfortable than before. When people from smaller towns come to Mumbai they struggle for their dreams and living. Parsis have got nice houses with lower rents,” Irani said. “I recently met a talented Parsi cricketer who plays Under-19 for the state. It is not the case that talent is not there, but then, parents would say Cricket chor,(leave cricket) take a comfortable job,” he said. On his recent visit to the national capital, Irani gave a musical performance which was followed by a performance by Basha Ensemble, an Iranian Choir with traditional instruments from Tehran, on the traditional folk songs of local seasonal celebrations and Navroze in traditional Iranian costumes. The Everlasting Flame International Programme is being hosted by Minority Affairs ministry under its scheme “Hamari Dharohar” in collaboration with the Culture Ministry and the Delhi-based Parzor Foundation.
