Boman Irani owned and ran a wafer business and did photography for a living before he caught the acting 'Virus.' Recently he even tried his hand at singing. After several memorable film roles and the fantastic success of 3 Idiots, the actor talks about how he was finally cajoled into facing the camera by Vidhu Vinod Chopra: <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/jul/Boman1.jpg" border="5" /> WHO: Boman Irani WHAT: Talking about trying his hand at different things Where: ITC Grand Central Not my calling No one could force me to become a doctor or engineer. You see, I wasn't good in my studies. And my mother, a single parent, was a believer in education beyond books. Also, I knew that even though I was average in academics, I wasn't a fool. Education is a must, but it's the hidden talent that makes life worth living. I sold off my wafer shop, which was a family business, because I wasn't enjoying working there and took up photography. Picture perfect I bought a camera when I became a dad at the age of 25 to capture my son's baby days. In that process, I realised that I could capture something more than just an image. So, I decided to photograph the school matches on Saturdays and Sundays as a hobby. And to earn from my hobby, I sold the pictures for Rs 20 - 30 each. Every time I earned extra, I bought equipment which was quite a difficult task then. Slowly I ventured into sports photography. It took me seven years to make photography my full-time profession. As I advanced, I switched from sports to fashion photography. It was then that I shot many beauty contests including the Miss India pageants. Cinema connectu00a0 The idea of being an entertainer always fascinated me, but to become an actor at the age of 32 was not a good idea. So I continued with photography. I once shot with Shaimak Davar who introduced me to Alyque Padamsee in whose play I acted first. Though my first play was not so famous, it was an experience of a lifetime. My first film was experimental after which I got an offer from Vidhu Vinod Chopra. I wasn't convinced with the idea of acting and I turned it down. But Vinod wouldn't give up. Eventually he convinced me and that's how I ended up in Munna Bhai MBBS. The rest as they say is history. Now maybe when people get bored of my acting, I'll turn to direction!

Boman Irani owned and ran a wafer business and did photography for a living before he caught the acting 'Virus.' Recently he even tried his hand at singing

A late bloomer

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A late bloomer

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