Boman Irani: “Why Should You Have Weaker Scripts Just Because It Is In The Theatrical Space?”

Boman Irani's upcoming projects include "83", "Jayeshbhai Jordaar" and Ajay Devgn's "Mayday".

Actor Boman Irani feels great writing is the need of the hour to sustain audience interest at a time when OTT provides a surfeit of choice. Continue reading to discover more about the latest Bollywood news.

“The OTT platform provides an opportunity for writers, actors and technicians. But, on OTT, there are thousands of alternatives. It requires 10 to 15 minutes to reject if you cannot engage the audience in their home. This may be avoided with good writing, which also applies for the remaining part of the show. Writing has become the superstar on the OTT platform,” Irani tells IANS.

Boman Irani said, “If your script is bad, your acting won’t come off well, and I say this even for theatrical releases. Why should you have weaker scripts simply because it is in the theatrical space?”

The theatrical release of a lot of films, including big-ticket ones, have been postponed amid the ongoing second wave of the Covid pandemic. While this spells losses for Bollywood, Boman Irani sees a silver lining.

“The pandemic has made a lot of issues. I am hopeful and saying this in a positive tone that once things open up, people will be dying to return to the theatres and there will be a big surge of footfalls in theatres again,” he hopes.

Quizzed if the OTT platforms will eventually replace the big screen experience, Boman Irani responded: “When television came, footfalls decreased in single-screen cinemas and then again there was a surge. I think the big screen is an entirely different experience, there will be movies made for the big screen. I really don’t think it could be replaced, since it is a family experience which individual look forward to especially in India. A huge screen and good sound cannot be permanently erased by something which is screened on your phone.”

He recently celebrated his screenplay writing workshop ‘Spiral Bound’ completing a year. “It began perhaps a couple years ago when we started Irani Movietone (his production house). I flew down Alex Dinelaris, the author of ‘Birdman’, who came and did a workshop and that set the journey. Prior to lockdown, I had five to six young writer-directors who was able to consult me on their scripts. Boman said, during the lockdown, we started coordinating over zoom call. That’s how it actually started. Now we have a huge amount of people joining in,”.

Boman Irani is famous for effortlessly nailing the characters he plays on screen and especially because of his impeccable comic timing. Any words of advice for budding actors?

“Find out within the script what is the character searching for, what is its quest. The moment you get that, believe me acting becomes easier! Additionally, just as musicians do their riyaaz every morning, as an actor you should also practice something every day, don’t just land up on the set and spew your lines,” he concluded.

Boman Irani’s upcoming projects include “83”, “Jayeshbhai Jordaar” and Ajay Devgn’s “Mayday”.

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