Well Done, Boman

As Armaan Ali aka Abba, the troubled man with the knowing smile, Boman Irani yet again steals the show in his latest release Well Done, Abba. Restrained and real, it is the character of Armaan Ali that stays with you long after you have left the cinema hall. This has been the actor’s biggest strength from the time he debuted in Bollywood nearly a decade ago at a ripe 44. Most of his roles — be it the stern Dr Asthana from Munnabhai MBBS, the uncouth Kishan Khurana from Khosla ka Ghosla, the idiosyncratic Viru Sahastrabudhhe from 3 Idiots or the endearing Oscar Fernandes from Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. have stayed put in the audience mind. “But this was not what I set out to do. I never wanted my characters to stay with people. In fact, I am uncomfortable playing grey characters like Khurana, but then that’s where the challenge lies,” says Irani, when we meet him for a chat.