Boman Irani is currently hosting a five-part weekly series on late director Bimal Roy
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; February 1, 2016)


Tell me about hosting The Bimal Roy Festival?
There was a time during the Doordarshan days where even with limited air time — four hours of programming — we used to get to see one classic every week. Today, with 180 channels and round-the-clock programming on each channel we don’t get to see one single classic film. It’s a crime to not show what we have as treasure and legacy. And if this continues, it will be forgotten forever because nobody will go out and buy them. When I got to know that Zee Classic has taken the initiative, I wanted to be a part of it. Not only has the quality of Bimal Roy’s cinema been an inspiration for the filmmakers of that generation who went on to make good films, it will be a learning for today’s young filmmakers too, and that for me is the best thing.

Which among his films is your favourite?
All his films are great, but the first one I saw when I was a kid was Do Bigha Zamin. I was thoroughly moved by the film, and the performance of Balraj Sahni. Back in the fifties the director had recreated the era so authentically. We talk about how we have better actors today, but Balraj Sahni did it back then. He was highly educated, a sophisticated man who had returned from England, and he played a rickshaw puller with so much authenticity! It was a great inspiration for me. Besides Do Bigha Zamin, I love Madhumati and of course, his Devdas is a yardstick for all Devdas films and Dilip Kumar’s performance is the reference point. Bimal Roy’s Bandini and Sujata were reflective of the society in those times. It was controversial then and is probably even today. But he was brave enough to make them. What’s more, they were not limited to a specific audience, they were palatable to the masses and entertaining. That was really the mark of that man.

Which of the characters from his films would you like to play?
A classic is a classic. I would feel bad to answer that. It’s a scary thought. But yes, all his five movies (that will be shown on the channel) can be remade — they are great timeless stories. And if there’s one character I would love to play, it would be Balraj Sahni’s from Do Bigha Zamin. I want to live through the emotions, enjoy the pain and hard work of that character.

You will now be seen in the third installment of Housefull. Which kind of comedy film and role do you find more challenging — over-the-top humour or realistic?
All the roles have to be challenging. Even in a Housefull 3 I must be challenged in some way because I am creating a character. You just can’t land up on the sets and perform. I have been privileged to work with some great directors and do a variety of films — those which are realistic with social messages as well as out-and-out entertainers. If I say I want to do only socially relevant films, I will be sitting at home for the rest of the year. I am willing to do any kind of film provided there is a spectrum for me to perform, whether it is Jolly LLB or 3 Idiots. I can’t say I will do only relevant cinema because at heart I am an entertainer.

Of the characters you have played so far, which ones have the maximum recall value?
There are three characters that get most talked about - Asthana (Munnabhai MBBS), Khosla Ka Ghosla’s Khurana and Virus from 3 Idiots.

Which are you most fond of?
Khurana. What happened was early in my career I got to play several characters based in Mumbai. Khurana was the first one from outside Mumbai. It was an alien character to me. The film was based in Delhi and I had to make Khurana as acceptable to Dilliwalas as to anybody else. That was a challenge. And, when a Delhi guy came up to me and said you have lived the Dilliwala perfectly, I felt very proud and still do.

What do you look for when you are offered a role?
What is important to me is the story. If the story is good, the character automatically improves and if the story is not good, no matter what you do your character won’t be remembered. So, I would rather go for an interesting story than a character.

Any plans of turning director?
That has been the plan for a long time. I am working towards it, soon there should be an announcement.