TV is bigger but impact of films is definitely greater: Boman Irani

Actor Boman Irani, who has dabbled in the world of photography, theatre and films, has been a part of reality TV shows, but has not worked in a daily soap. He says the reach of TV is far greater than films, but points out at the same time that films have a much greater impact.

A lot of veteran actors like Ratna Pathak Shah, Supriya Pathak and Anil Kapoor have started exploring the small screen. Asked if he would like to work in a content-driven show, Boman told IANS in an email interaction: "Absolutely, my focus is on creating remarkable content; I'm not very fixated on the medium."

"Television becomes a part of the viewer's day-to-day life, while a film is a one-time experience. In terms of reach, TV is bigger, but the impact of films is definitely greater," added the 57-year-old actor, who has films like "Munnabhai M.B.B.S.", "Main Hoon Na", "Page 3", "Being Cyrus", "Khosla Ka Ghosla", "Don" , "3 Idiots" and "Jolly LLB", to his credit.

How about directing a show to bring about change in the content being shown on TV today?

"I have worked in Hindi films for the last 12 years and I am very well acquainted with the finer nuances of the trade. Direction will be the natural next step in my learning graph. However, at this stage I am not sure if it is a TV show or film that I would like to direct, but yes, that's definitely a possibility for the future," said Boman, who is the brand ambassador of Ambi Pur India.

Acting had been his passion since his school and college days. Boman trained under acting coach Hansraj Siddhia from 1981 to 1983 and adopted professional acting methods. He has plays like "Family Ties", "Mahatma vs Gandhi" and " I am not Bajirao" to his credit.

In the world of theatre, Boman says there have been a lot of advancements over time and the medium is attracting larger crowds and enthusiasts.

"Plays have become more open and experimental. But the spirit of theatre remains the same, and there are very few experiences that teach you as much," Boman said.

Hailing stage life as more real, Boman stressed that the medium has "no retakes".

"It's your moment in front of your audience and you have to get it right. There is a certain kind of freedom and openness to theatre. You can depict different emotions without being confined to conventionally popular styles or expressions. Theatre has helped me create my own style and has been my training ground for my career in films," said Boman, who can fluently speak in different languages like English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali and Marathi.

The film industry has several actors like Naseeruddin Shah, the late Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Ratna Pathak, Seema Biswas, Pankaj Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Saurabh Shukla, Anupam Kher and Paresh Rawal, to name just a few, hailing from a theatre background.

Do you think all actors should at least once work in plays, maybe for a few months, to understand what exactly acting is?

"Probably! However, we do have to understand that every actor is unique, as each one draws inspiration and learning from different sources. I learnt from theatre, some actors learn from real life situations or through osmosis, while some are just naturals. It can't be a one-size-fits-all approach," said Boman, who will next be seen in "Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran" which is slated for a December release.