Boman Irani says his directorial debut The Mehta Boys shows how 'we're all guilty of backseat driving' as parents

Boman Irani's directorial debut, The Mehta Boys, stars Avinash Tiwary, and will be releasing on Amazon Prime Video.

He became a photographer in his 30s, a film actor at 43, and is now making his directorial debut at 65. Boman Irani does not adhere to the 'conventional' timelines. His first film as director - The Mehta Boys - will be released on Amazon Prime Video this week, and before this, the actor-filmmaker sits down with HT to speak about the film and more. (

Boman Irani and Avinash Tiwary play father and son in The Mehta Boys.

Boman Irani on The Mehta Boys

The Mehta Boys is the story of a father and son who don't get along but are forced to spend time together in unusual circumstances. Talking about the film's premise, Boman says, "It's an easier film to connect for the audience because it is so much more relatable." The actor says that the audience will find parallels in their lives with the characters very easily. "They'll feel. 'that's my dad, that's my uncle. That is how my brother and dad behave'."

Boman lost his father when he was just six months old. He never met the man, yet his first film is about the personal equation of a father-son relationship. He laughs and says, “I never met my father. Maybe I am feeling a void somewhere. I don't know. I am not even trying to make it sound psychological. I got drawn to the story, and if you got drawn to it, then the reasons are the same.”

‘A film has to be personal’

Ask him then what makes the film personal, and Boman quips, "Even if David Fincher is making a Seven and he has never been a part of a serial killer's life, it still has to be personal."

"The relatability is so evident; it actually becomes easy to make it consumable for audiences with a heart," sums up Boman.

Boman says he drew the father-son relationship from reality even if it wasn't from his own life. He says, "I did a hell of a lot of interviews. I can't reveal names. We are all guilty of backseat driving and I have drawn from a lot of personal experiences."

The Mehta Boys stars Boman Irani and Avinash Tiwary, alongside Shreya Chaudhry and Puja Sarup. The film is slated to be released on Amazon Prime Video on February 7.