– Best Actor (IFFSA Toronto) And Directorial Debut (SAFA) Awards –

Bollywood actor extraordinaire, Boman Irani received the Best Actor Male award in the feature film category at the International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) Toronto Film Festival, for his exemplary performance in his latest film, ‘The Mehta Boys’. The cast of the film, including Avinash Tiwary and Shreya Chaudhary, were present at the festival, along with co-writer Alex Dinelaris and producers Danesh Irani (Irani Movietone) and Anikta Batra (Chakboald Ltd.)

Praising Boman Irani’s achievement, IFFSA Toronto shared in a social media post, “Boman Irani brings to life a complex character with a deft blend of humour and depth, engaging audiences from the very first scene.” ‘The Mehta Boys’, where Boman Irani portrays a father navigating the emotional ups and downs of his relationship with his son, was also recently screened at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival.

Boman’s excellent performance captures the humour and depth of the father-son bond, resonating strongly with viewers and earning him recognition at various film festivals. ‘The Mehta Boys’ is slated to release on Amazon Prime Video.

The ‘The Mehta Boys’ also marks Boman Irani’s directorial debut, for which he received the prestigious SAFA (South Asian Film Association) Award, earlier in September 2024, when it premiered at the CSAFF (Chicago South Asian Film Festival). The film received a standing ovation and high praise, garnering global critical acclaim ever since. This award, which was accepted by Boman Irani in the presence of his family and co-stars, recognizes Boman Irani’s outstanding talent and contribution to the world of cinema. Expressing his delight on social media, Boman Irani shared, “Winning at the Chicago South Asian Film Festival for The Mehta Boys feels like a dream come true! Having my family and cast by my side made it all the more special. To everyone who poured their heart and soul into this film but couldn’t be here tonight – this win is for you! Your dedication and passion made this possible, and I am deeply grateful. Here’s to the entire team!”

And while Aapro Boman was in Chicago, he brought much joy and excitement to the Parsi-Irani community there, graciously visiting the Zoroastrian Center of Chicago, along with his lovely wife – Zenobia, son Danesh, and friends, including the adorable food-writer and comedian – Kunal Vijaykar. They were greeted at the entrance of the Dar-e-Mehr with the traditional achoo-michoo ceremony, and as they entered the hall, everyone burst into rapturous applause, singing a welcome ‘khushali-nu-geet’. A tandarosti for Boman and his loved ones was led by Chicago’s mobeds.

This was followed by a ‘meet and greet’ as delicious appetizers did the rounds, where ZAMC (Zoroastrian Association of Metropolitan Chicago) Board Member, Tushad Driver showered a warm welcome address onto Boman and presented him with a shawl and a plaque commemorating his awards and his contributions to the performing arts. Zenobia and Danesh were presented with Chicago souvenirs. Next up was a fireside chat by emcee Khursheed Ichhaporia, where Boman Irani shared his story and later regaled the audience with his inimitable entertainment and humor, and rendering a fantastic version of the song, ‘My Way’, which had the exuberant community members rising up to give him a standing ovation.

Boman and Zenobia Irani expressed their happiness at the welcome, saying, “The affection and the respect you have shown me and my family and friends… it’s made this trip even more special hundred times over”. ZAMC’s choir, led by Freya Dhunjisha, concluded the evening with a resounding Chaiyye Hame Zarathosti, followed by a sumptuous Parsi dinner. An excellent event indeed organised by ZAMC members – including Roshan Rivetna, Dinaz Weber, Farida Sharyari, Vispy Cooper, Kayomarsh Mehta and Khursheed Ichhaporia.

Interesting, Boman Irani is the only actor who got a chance to play Ratan Tata on-screen, in the biographical drama film about Prime Minister Narendra Modi which premiered in May 2019, co-starring Vivek Oberoi (as Modi). Boman Irani was cast as Ratan Tata in the biographical film. He had always wanted to portray Tata onscreen and thus, when director Omung Kumar and Vivek Oberoi approached him for the role, he agreed immediately, and his scenes were filmed in Ahmedabad.