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Working breakneck since the day I came into movies, says Boman Irani Lilly Singh is waiting for a Bollywood offer
Rishabh Suri
If shooting for a film in itself wasn’t hectic, now there are round-the-clock promotions, too, that take up most of an actor’s time. When we catch up with Boman Irani for one of his film’s promotions, we ask the actor how tougher it has become for actors now.
Boman recalls, “I don’t remember a great deal of promotions... say, for Munna Bhai MBBS (2003). I don’t remember anything [we did] at all, except for a photoshoot and a music launch. I can’t, for the life of me, remember too much!”
He adds that the first time he spent a day promoting a film was Don (2006). “We had booked a hotel, and we were in and out of three-four rooms to promote the film. It was like a junket. That was just one day. But now, they are doing a whole thing of this. When did it become this whole [thing]?,” he asks.
Clearly, he’s a bit tired at the moment we speak. But apart from this, in his career too, Boman was cruising at a high speed — so much so that he felt the need to put on the brakes. He has slowed down considerably on the number of projects he takes up.
“Let me say it again — the reason was that I had been working breakneck from the day I started off in movies, till the day I decided to take a bit of a breather,” says the 59-yearold, recently seen in Made in China.
“I started writing my own film. You have to spend a little time. You can’t do both — you can’t be hysterically busy and say you are writing a film, at the same time,” Boman adds.
Adding that playing his role as a real-life grandfather, too, is imperative, he says, “When I became a grandfather, I decided to spend more time at home. It has a double benefit. I can write, too. It came to a point where I had to step back and smell the roses a bit here and there. Now, I am good to go again!”
Juhi Chakraborty
She may be based far away in Los Angeles (USA), but Indian-origin Canadian actor-comedian Lilly Singh has a legion of fans in her native country.
They include several Bollywood stars who are also friends with her, including the likes of Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ranveer Singh, Varun Dhawan, and Deepika Padukone. So how come she has not appeared in any Bollywood film, not even in a cameo role? “Because I haven’t been offered any roles till date. Can you believe it?” Lilly shares with a laugh.
However, she adds, “I would love that. My Hindi is not that great, and if they (filmmakers) are willing to accommodate that, I am all for that.”
The digital star, who has made her fortune by writing, directing, and starring in YouTube videos, was born in Canada to parents who hailed from Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India. Talking about her perception of India as an NRI, Lilly says that when she was younger, she thought of the country as a place where her parents are from and she loved visiting India during holidays.
“But when I started my career, it became a lot more meaningful. Indians have been my biggest support system. They welcome me home. They cheer me on when I start any new endeavour. It’s more meaningful to me than when I was younger,” she says.
This year has been particularly interesting for her. She has transitioned from the Internet to become the first woman of Indian-origin to host her own TV show, A Little Late With Lilly Singh.
On what her first reaction was when she got the news, Lilly says it was mostly confusion. “I didn’t believe it, didn’t understand. But I’m obviously very grateful, honoured, humbled. I have been on camera but a late night show is a different beast,” she signs off.
I started writing my own film. You have to spend a little time. You can’t do both — you can’t be hysterically busy and say you are writing a film, at the same time
Indians have been my biggest support system. They welcome me home. They cheer me on when I start any new endeavour. It’s more meaningful to me than when I was younger.