Boman Irani on actors turning directors: It's a problem when they become an actor's director

Hindustan Times

06-07-2025

Boman Irani made his directorial debut this year with The Mehta Boys. Post that, he appeared in Detective Sherdil last where he teamed up with Sumeet Vyas, an actor-director too. And in his next, Tanvi The Great, he is working with actor Anupam Kher in his directorial return. Boman Irani(Photo: Instagram)
Ask Boman Irani what it is that actors bring in extra when they take up the director's chair and he says, 'I genuinely feel that if an actor feels that he's an actor-director and he becomes an actor's director, I think that's a problem. There's no need to tell actors how to act.'
Elaborating further, he states, 'An actor only understands drama, so an actor-turned-director does not necessarily have to go and tell an actor how to act. He just needs to push him into corners and nudge, that's it. So an actor being a director, he might end up teaching people how to act and I don't think that's necessary. Actors are doing their job and we should let them do their job.' He also playfully points out that sometimes even directors love to flaunt their acting skills on set by playing out scenes with heightened emotions. 'Some directors are closet actors,' he quips.
Before releasing his directorial in India, Boman took The Mehta Boys for international rounds at film festival. Does international appreciation offers validation to him as a director? 'The best thing that it does is it opens up a new audience and we speak of Indian cinema on an international stage. Otherwise what we're doing is we are keeping a particular audience in mind and preparing for that audience,' he responds.
The actor-director adds, 'If you are opening your film up to the world and saying people all over the world should appreciate this film because the story resonates with everybody, you must go for it on the front foot. As for validation, yes you feel good, no doubt about it. We all have our little wants in life but to open up and find a new audience is a nicer thing. Someone who watched my film in a festival that I could not attend in Toulouse, France, met me in Cannes and she said, 'I just want to let you know that in the entire audience, 98% were French and they loved it'. That for me, is opening up a new audience who'd like to see your next film or just another Indian film. It's a great victory.'