Good writers have the ability to make simple things sublime. In the hands of Boman Irani, for example, everyday items such as the handbrake of a car or a light switch become powerful tools for philosophical musings. Yes, that same Boman Irani who is mostly known for his prolific acting career in Hindi cinema, ranging from critically acclaimed arty fare to slapstick comedies.
Irani, 65, stars in The Mehta Boys, a heartfelt drama about an estranged father and son who are forced to spend 48 hours together, streaming from Friday on Prime Video. Based on an idea pitched to him a few years ago by acclaimed writer and director Sujoy Ghosh, Irani was so taken by the story's potential, he decided to write, direct and produce it.
“There was something about the idea that resonated with me,” he tells The National. “It's something so universal. It's such a beautiful process, trying to figure out people's wounds, people's fatal flaws, people's miscommunication, and all the confusion that happens between two people who love each other so dearly.”
But wanting to do something and actually making it happen are two different things, as Irani soon found out. He describes the painstaking process of making The Mehta Boys as “the greatest learning experience of my life”.
“After Sujoy sweetly said I could have his idea, I did a lot of research. I was doing a lot of movies then, so I'd write a scene one day, then another, and then scratch it and start all over again,” he explains. “Then I'd sleep on it, thinking I'd written a masterpiece and then wake up and throw it in the dustbin. I am, unfortunately, a boring man, so I didn't have a social life. So I just kept at it.”
Irani also reached out to an old friend, Oscar-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris Jr, to help him fine-tune the script.
“Alexander kind of shepherded and shaped it. He would write independently and then I'd write independently, and every few months I'd go to New York where he is based and sit with him for hours, and then come back after two weeks, then go back again.”
Irani's dedication to the project is already paying off. The Mehta Boys won Best Feature Film at the 15th Chicago South Asian Film Festival in September and Best Actor for Irani at the International Film Festival of South Asia in Toronto in October. It was also screened at the International Film Festival of India in Goa in November and the Indian Film Festival in Berlin last month, where it received wide praise.
In the film, Irani plays retiree Shiv, who, after a tragedy, is pressured by his daughter Anu (Puja Sarup) to move with her to the US. But a ticketing mishap forces Anu to leave Shiv with her brother Amay (Avinash Tiwary), an architect based in Mumbai, for 48 hours.
Estranged for many years, the two men patiently endure each other at first. But a series of incidents soon bring out old wounds, forcing father and son to reconcile with past differences and face their current realities.
Irani displays a deft hand as a first-time director, largely benefiting from his and co-writer Dinelaris Jr's potent script, as the film explores the complexities of relationships, themes of masculinity and coping with grief. In the story, as it is often in life, there are no right or wrong sides.
“There are no villains in this film. The villain is within you, which is your ego and your fake sense of masculinity,” says Irani. “This film is about looking at yourself, saying: 'That's probably me and I'm looking like a real idiot doing what I'm doing over there.' ”
Irani, whose two sons also work in the film industry – Kayoze Irani is an actor and Danesh Irani is a producer – says he also drew from personal experiences to write and play his character, as well as many interviews of fathers and sons. He also borrowed themes from Sigmund Freud's essay, Family Romances, which explores different phases children experience in relation to their parents.
“We've got a great relationship,” he says of his sons. “We do have our run-ins every now and then, but thankfully they get sorted the same evening. That's the difference between mine and Shiv and Amay's relationship.”
Starting his career as a photographer before moving to theatre and then acting in his first movie, 2001's Everybody Says I'm Fine!, Irani has appeared in more than 100 films. His notable work include roles in horror anthology Darna Mana Hai and blockbuster comedy Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., both in 2003, as well as record-breaking comedy-drama 3 Idiots (2009).
He says he is relishing his latest phase as director. “I was not made for only one film. I've had many productive times,” he says. “I feel very proud of myself as a shopkeeper. I've been proud of myself as a waiter. I've been proud of myself as a photographer, as a theatre actor and I've had some wonderful times in the cinema as an actor.
“And I always give myself an opportunity to feel a certain joy in what I do. So yes, at this point, I'm enjoying the joy of what The Meta Boys has brought me.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company%20profile
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
