Boman Irani (born 2 December 1959) is an Indian actor, photographer and voice artist who works predominantly in Hindi cinema he has also worked in Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam. He has acted in more than a hundred films in his career.
Early life
Irani was born on 2 December 1959, in Mumbai to an Irani Zoroastrian family. His father died 6 months before Irani was born (d. May 1959). Irani was dyslexic, as well as having a lisp, which he eventually overcame.
His mother (b. 18 November 1926, d. 9 June 2021) often encouraged him to repeatedly watch movies at the Alexander Cinema—where he would go daily after school—to observe their cinematography and art. He finished his secondary schooling at St. Mary’s School, after which he undertook a 2-year waiter course at Mithibai College in Mumbai.
Following his polytechnic diploma course, he joined the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower where he worked as a waiter and in room service for two years. With a promotion, he became a waiter at the hotel’s rooftop French restaurant, Rendezvous.
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Until he was 32 years old, Irani also managed the bakery and namkeen shop that belonged to his mother—who took over from Irani’s father after his passing—where he used to make and sell potato chips and tea. Located on Mumbai’s Grant Road between Novelty Cinema and Apsara Cinema, this shop was also where Irani first met his mother-in-law.
Boman Irani Height Age Girlfriend Wife Family Biography
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Profession | Actor |
| Famous Roles | Dr.Asthana (Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.) Viru Sahastrabuddhe or Virus (3 Idiots)  |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 188 cm in meters- 1.88 m in Feet Inches- 6’ 2” |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 88 kg in Pounds- 194 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | – Chest: 43 Inches – Waist: 38 Inches – Biceps: 13 Inches |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 2 December 1959 |
| Age (as of 2023) | 64 Years |
| Birthplace | Nagpada, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Zodiac sign | Sagittarius |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| School | St. Mary’s School, Mumbai |
| College | Mithibai College, Mumbai |
| Educational Qualification | Diploma in Polytechnic |
| Debut | Film: Everybody Says I’m Fine! (2001) OTT: Masoom (2022) on Disney+ Hotstar as ‘Balraj Kapoor’ |
| Family | Not much is known. |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism (Parsi) |
| Hobbies | Photography |
| Controversies | In 2014, the Mumbai Police probed the alleged involvement of his elder son Danesh in the 425 crore (INR) Qnet scam, and later he clarified that there is nothing as such. |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Dhansak, biryani and prawns curry rice |
| Actor | Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan |
| Director | Rajkumar Hirani, Farah Khan, Shyam Benegal |
| Film | Hollywood: The Sound of Music |
| Hotel | Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences in London |
| Restaurant | Café Good Luck and Dorabjee & Sons in Mumbai |
| Girls, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Zenobia Irani |
| Wife/Spouse | Zenobia Irani |
| Children | Daughter– N/A Son– Danesh and Kayoze |
Career
Photography career
While working at the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, using the tips that he received, Irani bought a camera and took sports pictures (school cricket and football matches), selling them for 20 to 30 rupees, which he continued till well after marriage. His epiphany came when he saved money for seven years to take his family for their first ever vacation to Ooty, but they ended up in a desolate run-down hotel called Shawham Palace. Irani decided to take control of his life, and instead of living the petty existence of a photographer selling small photos, he would start to dream and live big and provide more for his family. Irani calls it his “zero number bulb moment”.
Irani continued to be a photographer, but now at the age of 32, went 6 months prior to the world boxing championships at Mumbai to meet Aspy Adajania, then-president of the Olympic Boxing Association of India, and requested to become the official photographer of the World Cup. When Adajania told him there was no need for him, Irani offered to work at his office for 6 months for free in return for a ring-side badge to cover the event. He continued to try to convince Adajania, and covered a state boxing match in a different manner than other photographers. Adajania was impressed by his photos and his passion and appointed Irani as the official photographer.
Meanwhile, he became the photographer for the Norwegian boxing team and photographed specific photos that they needed of Ole Klemetsen. When asked about his charges, Irani asked for the international rate. Irani took the required photos with his K-1000.
Theatrical career
With acting having been a passion for Irani during his school and college days, he trained under acting coach Hansraj Siddhia from 1981 to 1983.
Irani’s mentor was Alyque Padamsee—the veteran theatre actor best known for his role as Mohammad Ali Jinnah in Gandhi—whom he was introduced to by Shiamak Davar. Irani’s earliest theatrical appearance was in Roshni, in which he played a cameo at the Regional Theatre in Versova. He followed this up with serials like Family Ties and Mahatma vs Gandhi, playing Gandhi after the role was turned down by Darshan Jariwala. His most illustrious play to date would be I Am Not Bajirao which ran for 10 years.
Film career
Irani moved to on-screen acting in 2000. He started out in a number of advertisements such as Fanta, Ambuja Cements, Ceat and Krack Jack biscuits (as Mr. Jack of the Krack and Jack duo).
His small but significant role in Darna Mana Hai earned him acclaim. The film was declared a hit, and he was one of the most remembered segments of the film along with Saif Ali Khan. Irani gained attention for his role in the 2003 comedy Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.. His role as J. Asthana earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role. He later appeared in Lage Raho Munna Bhai for which he received several IIFA award nominations and in 3 Idiots opposite Aamir Khan which earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Screen Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role.
Irani hosted the IIFA Awards, including in 2008 with actor Ritesh Deshmukh in Bangkok; 2009 in Macau; 2010 in Colombo; and 2011 in Toronto. He also hosted the quiz show Bollywood Ka Boss. He has been on Kaun Banega Crorepati with Sanjay Dutt, and has featured in OneTouch Glucose Meters TV commercials in 2015 with Simone Singh.
He launched his production house Irani Movietone in January 2019. Irani is about to make his directorial debut in 2022.In the same year, Irani appeared as Dr. Balraj Kapoor in the series Masoom.
Boman Irani has been a brand ambassador of P Mark Oil by Puri Oil (Mills), Exotica, Kent RO, Ahead NGO, and Saffola. Currently, he is also on the Board of Advisors of India’s International Movement to Unite Nations (I.I.M.U.N.).
Spiral Bound
In 2020, Irani began a masterclass named Spiral Bound with the aim of uniting amateur and professional screenwriters. Screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris conducted the first workshop of Spiral Bound. The masterclass continued in on as online sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guest speakers included playwright Anosh Irani and directors Raju Hirani, Ram Madhvani, and Shakun Batra Spiral Bound has completed more than 500 sessions.
Filmography
As actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Everybody Says I’m Fine! | Resomon Mittal | |
| 2002 | Let’s Talk | Nikhil Sharma | |
| 2003 | Darna Mana Hai | Hotel Owner | |
| Boom | Diamond Dealer | ||
| Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. | Dr. Jagdish Chandra “JC” Asthana | ||
| 2004 | Main Hoon Na | Principal Yogesh Agarwal | |
| Lakshya | Sanjeev Shergill | ||
| Veer-Zaara | Jahangir Hayaat Khan | ||
| 2005 | Page 3 | Deepak Suri | |
| Waqt: The Race Against Time | Natham “Nattu” Singh | ||
| My Wife’s Murder | Inspector Tejpal Randhawa | ||
| No Entry | Minister Pranab Kumar “PK” Gupta | ||
| Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara | Public Prosecutor Avinash Roy | ||
| Home Delivery: Aapko… Ghar Tak | Michael Burnett / Santa Claus | ||
| Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow | Yashwant Dayal Singh | ||
| Bluffmaster | Dr. Vijay Bhalerao | ||
| Mr Prime Minister | Member of Parliament | ||
| Being Cyrus | Farokh Sethna | English film | |
| 2006 | Shaadi Se Pehle | Dr. Rustam Ali | |
| Pyare Mohan | Tony Dholakia | ||
| Yun Hota To Kya Hota | DCP Amarkant Chauhan | ||
| Lage Raho Munna Bhai | Lakhbir “Lucky” Singh | ||
| Khosla Ka Ghosla | Kishan Khurana | ||
| Don – The Chase Begins Again | Vardhan Makhija/P De Silva | ||
| 2007 | Eklavya: The Royal Guard | Rana Jayavardhan Singh | |
| Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. | Oscar Fernandes | ||
| Heyy Babyy | Bharat Sahni | ||
| Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal | Tony Singh | ||
| 2008 | Love Story 2050 | Professor Yatin Khanna | |
| Kismat Konnection | Rajiv Batra | ||
| Dostana | Murali “M” Lokhande | ||
| Yuvvraaj | Dr. Pravin Kant “PK” Banton | ||
| Sorry Bhai! | Naveen Mathur | ||
| Maharathi | Avvaldas “AD” Merchant | ||
| 2009 | Luck by Chance | Deenaz Aziz | |
| Little Zizou | Boman Pressvala | ||
| 99 | Rahul Mehrotra | ||
| Kambakkht Ishq | Dr. Sachin Mishra | ||
| Perfect Mismatch | Naresh Patel | ||
| Fruit and Nut | Maharaja Harry Holkar | ||
| 3 Idiots | Dr. Viru “Virus” Sahastrabuddhe | ||
| Animal | Kevin | ||
| 2010 | Well Done Abba | Arman/Rahman Ali | |
| Hum Tum Aur Ghost | Virendra Kapoor | ||
| Mirch | Ashmit “Aasu” Hotmal | ||
| Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai | Doctor | ||
| Housefull | Batuk Patel | ||
| 2011 | F.A.L.T.U | Principal Karam Sharma | |
| Game | Om Prakash “OP” Ramsay | ||
| Love Breakups Zindagi | Ranveer | ||
| Don 2: The King is Back | Vardhan Makhija/P De Silva | ||
| 2012 | Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu | Sushil Kapoor | |
| Housefull 2 | Batuk Patel | ||
| Tezz | Sanjay Raina | ||
| Ferrari Ki Sawaari | Behram Ardeshir Deboo | ||
| Cocktail | Randhir “Randy” Kapoor | ||
| Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi | Farhad Ahmed | ||
| Student of the Year | Harikishan Sanon | Cameo | |
| 2013 | Jolly LLB | Advocate Mahesh Rajpal | |
| Attarintiki Daredi | Raghunath “Raghu” Nandan | Telugu film | |
| 2014 | Youngistaan | PM Dashrath Kaul | Cameo |
| Bhoothnath Returns | Bhushan Sharma / Bhausaheb | ||
| Happy New Year | Tehamton “Tammy” Irani | ||
| PK | Cherry Bajwa | ||
| 2015 | Bengal Tiger | CM Ashok Gajapathi | Telugu film |
| Dilwale | King | ||
| 2016 | Santa Banta Pvt Ltd | Santeshwar Singh Solaid / Santa | |
| Housefull 3 | Batuk Patel | ||
| The Legend of Michael Mishra | Full Pant (HP) / Older Half Pant | Cameo | |
| Ventilator | Dr. Sairam Sukhranjan | Marathi film | |
| 2017 | FU: Friendship Unlimited | Bulmukand | |
| 2018 | Agnyaathavaasi | Govind “Vinda” Bhargav | Telugu film |
| Naa Peru Surya, Naa Illu India | Colonel Sanjay Shrivastav | Telugu film | |
| Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran | Himanshu Shukla | ||
| Sanju | Captain Homi Irani | ||
| Welcome to New York | Gurwinder “Garry” Sandhu | ||
| Khajoor Pe Atke | Abhishek Zaveri | ||
| 2019 | Total Dhamaal | Commissioner Shamsher “Don” Singh | |
| PM Narendra Modi | Ratan Tata | ||
| Jhalki | Kailash Satyarthi | ||
| Kaappaan | Rajan Mahadev | Tamil film | |
| Made in China | Dr. Shankar Vardhi | ||
| Drive | Irfan Ali Mohammed | ||
| 2020 | Maska | Himself | |
| 2021 | 83 | Farokh Engineer | |
| 2022 | Runway 34 | Nishant Suri | |
| Jayeshbhai Jordaar | Samarth Parekh | ||
| Uunchai | Javed Siddiqui | ||
| 2023 | Dunki † | TBA | Filming |
As dubbing artist
- Teen Patti (2010) for Ben Kingsley