Boman Irani Wiki, Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

 

Boman Irani is an Indian actor and photographer who works predominantly in Bollywood films. He is known for his roles in films like ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.’ (2003), ‘3 Idiots’ (2009), ‘Housefull’ (2010), ‘Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi’ (2012), and ‘Happy New Year’ (2014).

Wiki/Biography

Boman Irani was born as ‘Boman Khodadad Irani’ ^[1]Tofler on Wednesday, 2 December 1959 (age 64 years; as of 2023), at Nagpada, Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Sagittarius. Boman Irani completed his schooling at St. Mary’s School in Mumbai. He pursued a polytechnic diploma course (2-year waiter course) at the Mithibai College of Arts, in Mumbai. Boman Irani is settled in Mumbai.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 6′ 2″

Weight (approx.): 80 kg

Hair Colour: Salt & Pepper

Eye Colour: Dark Brown

Body Measurements (approx.): Chest: 42″, Waist: 34″, Biceps: 16″

Family

Parents & Siblings

Boman Irani’s mother was Jerbanoo Irani, and she passed away at the age of 94 on 9 June 2021.

His father passed away in May 1959, 6 months before Boman Irani was born. Boman Irani has 3 sisters, Roshan Irani, Shirin Irani, and Shehnaz Irani. One of his sisters, Roshan Irani, runs the Empress Garden Restaurant in Delhi.

Wife & Children

Boman Irani got married to Zenobia Boman Irani on 28 January 1985. Zenobia is the director of the production house ‘Irani Movietone Llp.’

The couple later got blessed with two sons, Danesh Irani, and Kayoze Irani. Danesh Irani is the Principal co-founder at Irani Movietone and also works for Dharma Productions. Kayoze Irani is an Indian actor and film director.

Relationships/Affairs

Boman Irani started dating Zenobia Boman Irani in 1982, before getting married to her in 1985.

Religion

Boman Irani follows Zoroastrianism and is a Parsi. ^[2]Parsi Khabar-Boman Irani

Signature/Autograph

Career

Photography

After working at the Taj Hotel, Boman Irani purchased his first professional camera and started clicking random pictures; he would sell these pictures for Rs. 20-30. At the age of 32, Boman Irani went to meet Aspy Adajania, the Indian boxer and the then president of the Olympic Boxing Association of India. Boman requested him to hire him as a photographer to click the Boxing World Cup’s pictures, which the president denied. However, Boman Irani worked in the office of Adajania for six months and clicked pictures of a state championship. After seeing his work, Aspy Adajania was so impressed that he hired Boman Irani as the official photographer. He became the official photographer for the Norwegian boxing team and clicked pictures of the boxer Ole Klemetson. Later, Boman Irani started charging Rs. 3000 per photography session and eventually price rose to Rs. 10,000-20,000. ^[3]Curly Tales

Theatre

From 1981 to 1983, Boman Irani started training under the acting coach Hansraj Siddhia. Shiamak Davar (Indian choreographer) took Boman Irani to the Indian filmmaker and theatre personality Alyque Padamsee, and he became Boman’s mentor. ^[4]Hindustan Times In 1998, Boman was cast in a theatrical play ‘Mahatma vs. Gandhi,’ in which he played the role of Mahatma Gandhi. Alyque Padamsee offered a small cameo role to Boman Irani in the play ‘Roshni,’ which was performed at a regional theatre in Versova, Mumbai. After watching his performance, Rahul da Cunha (Indian film director) offered Boman Irani a role in the play ‘I am not Bajirao.’ Boman Irani played the role of Dhunjisha Batliwala. The play ‘I am not Bajirao’ was opened on 19 May 1996 at the Tata Theatre in Mumbai, and it ran and was performed in the theatres for 10 years. ^[5]Mumbai Theatre Guide

I first saw @bomanirani in the 1996 play, I'm Not Bajirao.
Sudhir Joshi and him were electric and hilarious.
Then I saw him in @RamKMadhvani 's Let's Talk and was amazed again.
Delighted to talk to him tomo.
Sunday 6PM.
Set reminder: https://t.co/KaPR3OM86O pic.twitter.com/Tjy0KccGvy

— Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) November 28, 2020

Bollywood

Boman Irani made his Bollywood debut at the age of 42 in 2001 with the Indian English-language drama film ‘Everybody Says I’m Fine!.’ Boman Irani played the role of Resomon Mittal, and the film was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In 2003, Boman Irani starred in the comedy-drama film ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.’ He was cast in this film at the age of 44. Boman played the role of Dr. Jagdish Chandra Asthana.

In 2004, Boman Irani was cast in Farah Khan’s directorial debut film ‘Main Hoon Na.’ Boman Irani played the character of Yogendra “Yogi” Agarwal (college principal).

In 2004, Boman Irani appeared in the romantic drama film ‘Veer-Zaara,’ which was directed by Yash Chopra, in which he played the role of Preity Zinta‘s father, Jehangir Hayaat Khan. In 2006, Boman Irani was cast in the action thriller film ‘Don: The Chase Begins Again’ in which he played the role of DCP De Silva.

In 2009, Boman Irani starred in the superhit film ‘3 Idiots,’ which was directed by Rajkumar Hirani. Boman played the character of Dr. Viru Sahastrabuddhe, better known as “Virus.” This role gave Boman Irani immense recognition in the field of acting.

In 2012, Boman Irani was cast in the romantic-comedy film ‘Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi.’ The film was inspired by the Persian poem ‘Farhad and Shirin,’ which was written by the 12th-century poet, Nizami Ganjavi. Boman Irani played the role of a Parsi bachelor, Farhad Pastakia.

In 2013, Boman Irani starred in the blockbuster Hindi Black comedy film ‘Jolly LLB.’ Boman Irani played the role of Advocate Tejinder Rajpal.

In 2021, Boman Irani was cast in the famous Hindi biographical sports drama film ’83.’ The film was based on the Indian Cricket team that won the 1983 Cricket World Cup. Boman Irani played the role of a former Indian cricketer Farokh Maneksha Engineer.

South Indian Films

In 2013, Boman Irani made his South Indian debut with the Telugu comedy-drama film ‘Attarintiki Daredi.’ Boman Irani played the role of Raghunandan in the film. 

In 2015, Boman Irani was cast in the Telugu action-comedy film ‘Bengal Tiger.’ He played the role of Chief Minister Ashok Gajapathi in the film. In 2018, Boman Irani starred in the Telugu action-drama film ‘Agnyaathavaasi.’ He played the role of Govinda Bhargav, better known as Vindha in the film. In 2019, Boman Irani made his Tamil film debut with the action thriller film ‘Kaappaan.’ He played the role of Rajan Mahadev, the industrialist in the film.

Controversy

QNet Scam

In 2014, Boman Irani and his son, Danesh Irani, were booked after a complaint filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Cyberabad Police in the Rs. 425 Crore QNet scam. QNet is a multi-level marketing company that was under a cheating scandal of Rs. 425 Crore. It was reported that a transaction against QNet of Rs. 18 Crore was found in Danesh Irani’s bank account statements. Moreover, Boman Irani was seen at various promotional events of QNet. However, Boman Irani denied his involvement in the scam and was quoted saying,

My involvement with the company is merely based on the fact that I have attended a function of QNet and had been photographed there.” ^[6]India Today

Many actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Anil Kapoor along with Boman Irani were sent official summons in regard to the scam and were questioned by the Hyderabad Police.

Shah Rukh Khan, Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani Questioned By Hyderabad Police For QNET Scam#ShahRukhKhan #AnilKapoor #BomanIrani #Koimoi https://t.co/wEA4kvFpJx

— Koimoi.com (@Koimoi) August 29, 2019

Awards & Nominations

• In 2004, Boman Irani won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award for the film ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’ (2003).

• In 2004, Boman Irani won the IIFA Best Comedian Award for the film ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’ (2003).

• In 2004, Boman Irani was nominated for the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role for the film ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’ (2003).

• In 2005, he won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award for the film ‘Main Hoon Na’ (2004).

• In 2006, Boman Irani was nominated for the IIFA Best Comedian Award for the film ‘Waqt: The Race Against Time’ (2005).

• In 2007, Boman Irani won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his role as ‘Lucky Singh’ in the film ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ (2006).

• In 2007, Boman Irani was nominated for the IIFA Best Villain Award for his role as ‘Lucky Singh’ in the film ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ (2006).

• In 2007, Boman Irani was nominated for Best Actor in A Comic Role for the film ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ (2006) at the Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA).

• In 2007, he was nominated for Best Performance in a Negative Role for the film ‘Lage Raho Munna Bhai’ (2006) at the Stardust Awards.

• In 2008, Boman Irani was nominated for the Best Actor in a Comic Role for the film ‘Dostana’ (2008) at the Producers Guild Film Award.

• In 2010, Boman Irani won the IIFA Best Villain Award for his role as ‘Viru Sahastrabuddhe (Virus)’ in the film ‘3 Idiots’ (2009).

• In 2010, Boman Irani won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film ‘3 Idiots’ (2009). ^[7]Facebook-Filmfare

• In 2010, he won the Screen Award for Best Villain for the film ‘3 Idiots’ (2009).

• In 2011, Boman Irani won the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role for the film ‘Well Done Abba’ (2010).

• In 2011, Boman Irani won the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role for the film ‘3 Idiots’ (2009).
  

  Boman Irani (left) receiving the Zee Cine Award for Best Actor for ‘3 Idiots’

• In 2012, he was nominated for the IIFA Best Villain Award for the film ‘Don 2’ (2011).

• In 2020, Boman Irani was awarded the Most Versatile Actor award at the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival.

• In 2023, he received an honour at the Stardust 50 Years Honour Awards.
  

  Boman Irani receiving the honour from Satish Kaushik (left) at the Stardust 50 Years Honour Awards

Car Collection

Boman Irani owns a Mercedes-Benz GLE 300d SUV. He also owned a BMW 5 series.

My last ride in my old faithful of 6 years. Will miss her warmth and calm energy. pic.twitter.com/wx91FAjjNV

— Boman Irani (@bomanirani) February 16, 2017

Net Worth

Boman Irani’s net worth is estimated to be Rs. 1.3 crore, as of 2023.

Favourites

• Food: Dhansak, Biryani, Prawns Curry Rice

• Travel Destination(s): London, South Africa, and New York

• Actor(s): Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan

• Director(s): Rajkumar Hirani, Farah Khan, Billy Wilder, John Michael Frankenheimer, Frank Capra, Guru Dutt, Alexander Dinelaris Jr., and Shyam Benegal

• Movie: The Sound of Music (1965)

• Hotel: Taj 51 Buckingham Gate Suites and Residences (London)

• Cafe(s): Cafe GoodLuck (Pune) and Dorabjee and Sons (Pune)

• Alcohol(s): Whiskey, Mother’s Milk, Lagavulin 16, Macallan, and Laphroaig

• Poem: “If—” by Rudyard Kipling

Facts/Trivia

• Boman Irani rejected the role that he was offered in the 2003 film ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’ as he didn’t like the idea of the character; however, just because Boman loved Rajkumar Hirani as a person, he agreed to do the film. Boman was paid only Rs. 2 Lakh for his role in the film. ^[8]The Times of India

• On 24 January 2019, Boman Irani launched his own production house named ‘Irani Movietone.’ His elder son, Danesh Irani is the Principal co-founder of the company and Boman’s wife, Zenobia Boman Irani, is the director of the company. The logo was unveiled by the famous actor Amitabh Bachchan.

• Boman Irani suffered from Dyslexia (learning difficulty), Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and a lisp (a speech defect) during his childhood.

• Boman Irani has featured on the covers of various magazines like Creme magazine and Mayapuri magazine.
  

  Boman Irani on the cover of Creme magazine

  

  Boman Irani on the cover of Mayapuri magazine

• For his role in the play ‘Mahatma vs. Gandhi,’ Boman Irani had to lose 30 kgs to play the role of Mahatma Gandhi. ^[9]The Times of India
  

  Boman Irani in a still from the play ‘Mahatma vs. Gandhi’ in 1998

• His character traits in the film 3 Idiots were inspired by lisp, which was his childhood speech impediment. ^[10]The Times of India

• Boman Irani’s father owned a wafer shop named ‘Golden Wafer Compound’ in Mumbai. After Boman’s father passed away, his mother took over the shop, and once Boman’s mother met with an accident, and that’s when Boman Irani started working at his family wafer shop. He worked there for 12 years before entering into any professional work. ^[11]The Times of India
  

  Boman Irani’s family wafer shop in Mumbai

• He is proficient in many languages like Parsi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Bengali.

• Boman Irani loves spending time with his grandchildren and often shares their pictures on social media.
  

  Boman Irani and his wife with their grandson, Ziaan (centre)

  

  Boman Irani with his granddaughter, Sysha

• In 1979, he started working at the Taj Mahal Tower in Mumbai as a room service employee, and he was hired at a monthly salary of Rs. 105. He saved his salary money for a year and bought his wife a gold chain as a gift. After working there for a year, Boman Irani wanted to work at the rooftop French restaurant at the Taj, which was named ‘Rendezvous.’ He worked at a restaurant as a waiter for 6-8 months. ^[12]Curly Tales- YouTube

• Boman Irani loves dogs and often shares pictures of him playing with his pets on Boman’s social media platforms.
  

  Boman Irani with his pet dog at his home in Mumbai

• Boman Irani loves singing and playing the guitar and often performs on various occasions. In 2010, he also performed live singing at the IIFA Awards with Shankar Mahadevan. In 2010, the duo also performed together at the Teacher’s Origin Highnights,’ an event organised by the Teacher’s Whisky Company in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. ^[13]Hindustan Times
  

  Boman Irani performing at the Reliance Day

• After selling his sports pictures at just Rs. 20-30, Boman Irani saved his earnings for seven years and took his family on a trip to Ooty. The family stayed at the Shawham Palace Hotel in which the room had only one light bulb and no amenities. That’s when Boman Irani decided to do more hard work to give his family a better life. ^[14]Curly Tales

• He often asks his children ‘where are you?’ whenever they’re out and because of that, Boman’s kids have saved his name as ‘where are you?’ on their respective phones.

• Shah Rukh Khan addresses Boman Irani as a ‘sex bomb.’

• Boman Irani used to watch films at the Alexandra Cinema every day when he used to work at his family wafer shop.

• In 2016, Boman Irani starred in the Marathi comedy-drama film ‘Ventilator’ which was produced by Priyanka Chopra. Boman played the role of Dr. Shroff in the film.

• He is a close friends with actor Anupam Kher, and director Farah Khan. Boman often shares pictures of his close friends on social media.
  

  Boman Irani with Anupam Kher at a cafe in Mumbai

  

  Boman Irani with Farah Khan (right), during a film promotion

• Boman Irani was the voice artist in the Hindi thriller film ‘Teen Patti.’ He dubbed the voice of the English actor, Ben Kingsley.
  

  Boman Irani’s tweet regarding ‘Teen Patti’

• He loves travelling and trekking, and he often shares photos of different travel destinations on social media.
  

  Boman Irani during his trekking in Manang in Nepal

• Boman Irani credits the Indian choreographer Shiamak Davar for bringing him into the acting field.
  

  Boman Irani’s Instagram post dedicated to Shiamak Davar

• Boman Irani’s first car that he purchased out of his own income was a Maruti 800. ^[15]Times Now- YouTube

• Boman Irani drinks alcohol and smokes cigars occasionally.
  

  Boman Irani drinking beer on a vacation

• He has been part of ad campaigns for many famous brands like Fanta, Limca, Pepsi, and Maruti.

• He has hosted the IIFA Awards from 2008 till 2014.

• Boman Irani has been a volunteer with many social organizations like Lakshyam NGO, Women’s India Trust (WIT), Footsteps, In Defense of Animals, and The Akanksha Foundation.

• Boman Irani was the host of the Indian quiz show ‘Bollywood Ka Boss.’

• He is a non-vegetarian and is often seen eating non-vegetarian food with his family and friends.
  

  Boman Irani (right) eating non-vegetarian food at a restaurant

• Boman Irani photographed the MRF campaign ‘the tyres we race are the tyres you buy’ in Chennai. ^[16]Forbes India
  

  MRF ad campaign shot by Boman Irani