Boman Irani has his eyes set on the prize. This year, he ventured out of acting to try his hands at the art of filmmaking. “I am producing, writing, acting and directing, which is a lot to do. That’s why I chose not to do any other film because I did not want any distractions,” says Irani, who celebrated his 64th birthday on December 2.

Speaking to us, the actor dispels speculations about him being considered for a biopic on late Indian businessman Subrata Roy, who died on November 14. “No, I have not heard of it and I am not familiar with anything on these lines,” he says.

While Irani is channelling his energy towards filmmaking, his sons are doing their own thing in the industry. “Kayoze is working on his directorial debut, which stars Ibrahim Ali Khan. Danesh is busy with other production jobs. So we engage in a lot of discussions about filmmaking,” he shares.

For Irani, 2023 has been a special year. Not just because he finally got to put the director hat on, but because his film, Munna Bhai MBBS (2003) completed 20 years. Recalling how he landed the role of Dr J C Asthana in the comedy-drama, he says, “I remember the first narration of Munna Bhai, and I didn’t really understand it. Then, I met this gentle soul Raju Hirani (director). When he told me about this story where a gunda wants to be a doctor, I was doubtful about how he was going to pull it off. But as I saw the story move ahead, I was convinced. We finally put it out for the world to see and we haven’t stopped receiving love ever since.”

To this day, Irani’s role has stuck with him. “Not a day goes by when someone does not tap me on my shoulder to talk about that film,” he ends.