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Now that Housefull 3 has become one of the most successful comedy franchises that Bollywood has come up with, many critics are puzzled by its success at the box office. After all, this type of humour may not be to everybody’s taste; nevertheless, there is a distinct set of viewers who have always loved and supported the Housefull series right since its inception in 2010. That would explain why the films have never disappointed its fans – and have never lost money.
As far as the Housefull series is concerned, Boman Irani may be considered quite a specialist – he has been part of all three movies. This ongoing involvement gives him a clear understanding of what the Housefull-loving audience expect from the movie. Moreover, having worked extensively with the writer-director duo of Sajid-Farhad, Boman also knows what they want in terms of the portrayal of Batook Patel.
To Boman Irani good comedy is all about trust – whether it’s an isolated comic scene or an entire movie. Boman believes that the characters must use each other as bouncing boards and get their comic timing perfect – only then does a comedy performance gel. It’s all about the dynamics between the characters.
In the case of his interaction with the Housefull “boys”, these dynamics have clicked really well, resulting in scintillating, offbeat comedy and some truly memorable interactions between the characters. Boman points out that he is good friends with Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan – and has also worked with all of them in the past. There is a high level of camaraderie. All the actors are comfortable in each other’s company. The fact that they also gel well off-screen went a long way in getting the comic timing right during the shooting of the film. This is where the ‘trust factor’ mentioned by Boman comes in – when you deliver your line, you must be confident that your co-star’s response will come back at you without any slackness or hesitation, like a high-speed table tennis match. The result: edgy comedy and a tight performance.
Boman Irani’s performance in Housefull 3 provides several insights into how a specialist approaches a role – finding out what the scriptwriters want, knowing what the directors want, understanding what the character’s role demands and knowing exactly what the audience wants. In fact, this is precisely how Boman approached his role as the brand ambassador for P Mark Mustard Oil which prides itself on being ‘The Mustard Specialist’. Owing to circumstances, Boman got the script for the brand’s television commercial only when he reached the sets for the shoot. Being the consummate specialist, he spent time with the brand’s Managing Director, Vivek Puri, understanding the essence of the brand and the values it stands for. He rapidly internalized all this information – and brought the brand alive when he got on the sets later that same evening.
His understanding of the brand and his specialised acting skills made the commercial highly believable, very down-to-earth and extremely engaging. The ad has a blend of comic elements and serious brand messaging interwoven seamlessly and held together by Boman Irani – the true-blue specialist; an actor par excellence.
