The Self Proclaimed Late bloomer Boman Irani Turns A Year Older

The very versatile Boman Irani turned 66 on December 2. He describes himself as a late bloomer. “My timelines have always been a little out of sync with the rest of the world. I became a photographer at the age of 34, I joined the stage at 35, started doing commercial cinema at 44 and I made my debut as director (The Mehta Boys) at 65. And I feel, no harm, who’s keeping track? And because I always feel that when the time is right, that’s the time. I think the time was perfect.”

He describes all his career decision as spontaneous . “I think along the way, from the wafer-shop days to the photography days, to my theatre days, I’ve been picking up things that probably have helped me over the years to become a director and a writer. I used to write plays when I was young, at the wafer shop I did observational work as an actor. As a photographer all that I learned about composition, light, lighting and mood, probably helped me in my direction. Theatre helped me with drama and prep for actors. I think that theatre discipline definitely helps acting. And it took me about 10 years to piece this together as a script.”

And along the line, Boman also studied writing. “Which, you may think you’re a writer, but you don’t have the science of a writer. You might think you have the heart, and that comes naturally to a lot of people, but I think there’s a science to writing. And that’s what I picked up along the way before I actually was ready to make this film.”

Boman is not sure where life will take him next. “But wherever it takes me, I am game for the ride. I never knew I’d get to do all the things that I’ve done in life so far. Who knows what’s in store next?”