Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; October 18, 2019)

Actor Boman Irani has been a sports enthusiast from the time he was a little boy. He will be seen as former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Farokh Engineer in Kabir Khan’s ‘83, which encapsulates India’s first ever cricket world cup win in London.

Ahead of his shoot, Boman had a chance meeting with the octogenarian Farokh, during the course of a holiday in England. Recalling it, he told us, “I wanted to meet Farokh as part of my research. It was strange, but my family and I were on a brief holiday in the UK, and when we were leaving the hotel to head back to India, the manager told me that Farokh Engineer had arrived. He asked me to stay back and watch a match with him, but I told him that I had a flight to catch. Then, he asked me to come back after a few days for the India-Pakistan match. I told my wife Zenobia that Farokh thinks going from London to Mumbai and back is like going to Bandra and getting back. She heard everything and said, ‘Tell him you will come back’. And I am glad that I did.”

Boman eventually spent time with Farokh at his residence in Manchester and also watched the India-Pakistan World Cup match at Old Trafford during the recent World Cup. Talking about the experience, Boman said, “As a child, if someone has seen MS Dhoni on TV and he later gets to meet him or spend time at his house, how would that person feel? I felt just that when I got a chance to meet Farokh and stay over at his place. We watched the Indo-Pak match together. That was one of the best times that I had spent while working on a character. While staying with him, the idea was to try and understand the man, his psyche. I had followed his work as a kid. The Farrokh I met is an 80-year-old guy and the Farokh I am playing is about 40 years younger. He was a different man then. If you try to imitate someone, that is all you get. The idea is to understand what was he thinking back then, sitting in the commentary box and being run down by a white guy who was making racist comments. He was probably embarrassed. I don’t know what he sounded like in those days. There is very little in the records. He insisted that in 1983, he had sidelocks. I saw a stray picture of him and there is no sidelock. But I have got sidelocks as a part of my look. I have to be Farokh at heart. That is the joy of playing him; being able to present his thoughts well. I don’t have to imitate him to play him.”

Actor, who plays former cricketer-commentator in Kabir Khan’s sports drama featuring Ranveer Singh, on spending time with him
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 27, 2019)

Mirror was the first to report (May 17) that Kabir Khan’s Kapil Dev biopic, ’83, featuring Ranveer Singh as the protagonist and his actress-wife Deepika Padukone as the former skipper’s better half, Romi, will go on the floors on June 5 in London. Now, we have learnt that Boman Irani has joined the ensemble cast of the film, which includes Pankaj Tripathi, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Saqib Saleem, Ammy Virk, Chirag Patil, Jiiva and Harrdy Sandhu.

The actor, who plays legendary former opening batsman and wicket-keeper, Farokh Engineer, in the film, informs from London, “He was the only Indian commentator during the 1983 World Cup. His story, along with co-commentator Brian Johnston’s, runs parallel to the main narrative.” During the historic World Cup final between India and West Indies, Johnston had jokingly asked Engineer if the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, would declare a public holiday if India wins, to which his Indian counterpart had quipped, “She is an avid listener of the show, and would declare a public holiday just hearing this.” Turned out, Engineer’s prediction came true.

Boman joined the team at the Lord’s cricket ground on Sunday. “I will be shooting for a couple of days here, and then join the team in Mumbai. It’s a great honour to play this legendary character,” the actor beams. Ask him if he has met Engineer as a part of his prep, and he reveals, “I went to Manchester during the World Cup this year and stayed with him for a few days. We even watched the India versus Pakistan match together. It was so surreal; like meeting your boyhood hero. I stayed at his house and we had some good laughs while trying to understand the man for the role.”

The actor also opened up about what drew him to the film, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, Reliance Entertainment and Madhu Mantena, in which he represents India from the commentator’s box. “Kabir called me a few months ago and offered me this role. Instinctively, I replied, ‘If you give this role to someone else, we’ll not be friends anymore.’ I’m here now, shooting,” Boman shares.

Putting on make-up and prosthetics to transform into Farokh Engineer for the big screen was memorable as well. “While I was getting into make-up, I called Engineer to thank him for the honour of portraying him. The ’83 World Cup is a big part of our lives, not just as cricket lovers, but as Indians,” the actor signs off.