Boman Irani: Respect a language that's not yours

Boman Irani

The distinctiveness with which he approaches his craft is made evident when Boman Irani responds to our questions of aping the mannerisms and physicality of Kailash Satyarthi with a pithy, "That's just secondary". Instead of studying the superficial, he dug deeper to unearth three distinct personalities of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient. "He wears a cape and becomes a crusader when he's rescuing children - tough and brave as he walks into factories and liberates them from labour," Irani says, his voice mirroring the valour that Satyarthi would have portrayed during such endeavours. In the company of children, the child rights activist becomes one among them, says the actor, adding that the third facet to his personality emerges when he addresses the world on international podiums. "He's a statesman, a world president when he joins the likes of Malala [Yousafzai, activist] to address people."

Kailash Satyarthi

Irani, set to play Satyarthi in an upcoming venture, may have met the activist umpteen times to have noticed such nitty gritties, one might assume. But an interaction with the man, he reveals, is still pending. "I've binge-watched over 100 videos of him to arrive at the conclusion. These three personalities rolled into one is what makes him Kailash Satyarthi. He is someone everybody should know about," prides Irani, quick to add that Jhalki, as the film's name suggests, will see only a few glimpses of him. "I have a small role. The protagonist of the film is a young girl. It chronicles her story."

As fans await his performance in the long-in-the-making film, Irani recently charmed them in Welcome To New York as the organiser of a coveted awards gala, reeling with the constant hiccups of managing a live event. But, it was only after a significant hiatus of two years that cinephiles could enjoy the wit of the actor, whose last Bollywood film was the 2016 Housefull 3. In the interim, he humoured his fans in the South with a series of Marathi and Telugu outings, including Priyanka Chopra's production, Ventilator. Irani talks about his regional projects with a fervour that's unparalleled. The kind his directors harbour when chasing him to sign on the dotted line. "It's easy to understand if someone following up with you for a project is genuinely interested in roping you or not," he says.

While some may despise it, he enjoys the unpredictable atmosphere of an unfamiliar set. "It keeps you on your toes," he says, adding, "Working with a new crew in a different language is exciting. It takes you into a zone that you are not familiar with, and that's positive. You approach cinema differently, which is good for an actor's growth; it keeps you awake." Much at odds with popular notion, a stint in a smaller industry doesn't imply less work for the actor, who is painfully particular about nabbing the pronunciation of a new language. "When you speak in a language that's not yours, you must treat it with respect. If you don't, you're just mouthing lines, and the cast and crew can notice that you're not paying heed to their language. When I learn my lines, I do so in English. I'll act it out in English so that I understand the subtext and scene. I'll do so again in Hindi, and then finally in the language of the film. This way, I have a better understanding of the lines I'm saying, not only because I've rehearsed it enough, but also because I understand the subtext of every line. You need to be phonetically correct when speaking a new language." In his tryst to do so, Irani ensures that his work for the film doesn't end on set. He spends several hours with his directors working on his speech after the shoot wraps up. "They drive home with me, and may even come to my room after a late schedule for a meal. We continue to understand what is being said. Only when you do so will the audience respect you."

It is owing to this immense effort that goes into creating a cinematic outing worthy of people's time that the actor is critical of the furor caused by fringe groups ahead of the release of a film. With Welcome To New York having found itself in the eye of the storm over the inclusion of Pak singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's voice, and later for the lyrics of a track crooned by leading man Diljit Dosanjh, Irani says the trend to create controversy before a film's release is, unfortunately, becoming commonplace. "It's become part and parcel of the release. It's not a good trend, but it is happening. The producers work hard to meet deadlines, and such incidents put their toil to waste. Producers need to accommodate time and energy towards sorting these things too. Nowadays, every film seems to have a problem."

While his contemporaries are actively giving a go at digital ventures, Boman Irani isn't hurried to get onto streaming services. The offers have been pouring in every day, he says, but none of them have him "excited enough". But what may interest him need not necessarily be something that carries a social message. "Sometime, you can't be picky about good subjects because, let's be honest, great subjects are far and few. Some films purely entertain. People need it. If you remove entertainment from people's lives, you'll have an unhappy society. What I look for is a subject that can simply keep me excited. Also, you need to enjoy working with those associated with the film. A set has to be a happy place. As far as the web is concerned, I want my first project to be the right one. Else people will say, 'It didn't work out for him in this space.'"

Also read: Boman Irani turns 'cameraman' at Wankhede stadium

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