Behind <I>the</I> Mask

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Wednesday, April 22, 1998

Behind the Mask

Sujata Assomull

Boman Irani is comfortable both behind the camera and in front of it. His day job is that of a photographer -- he has clicked the portfolios of most of the Miss India contestants -- but in the evenings, Boman leaves the camera at home and takes centrestage. Strangely, it was photography that led him to theatre. "I always used to sing to my models to put them at ease," says the 37-year-old photographer. And when Shiamak Davar heard his voice, he insisted that Boman should do a musical. Shiamak then contacted Alyque who cast Boman in Roshni. Though this Padamsee production did not do well, Boman's performance was appreciated and he went on to do several other plays. Currently, he is in Rahul da Cunha's Six Degrees Of Separation and I'm Not Bajirao. Surprisingly, Boman was not daunted by playing Dhanjisha Baltiwallia, a 75-year-old Parsi. Says he, "Acting is not hard, you just have to work at it." And then you can have some fun. The cast of Bajirao is soon going to Dubai to performthere.

Boman has been working as a professional photographer for over five years and in the world of theatre for two. "But many people do not realise that Boman Irani the photographer and actor are the same person," he says.