Boman Irani is a well-known Indian film actor, theatre and voice artist. He is best known for his comedic roles in popular movies like 3 Idiots, Munnabahi MBBS and Dilwale. He is a recipient of Filmfare and IFFA award for his performance in 3 Idiots starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and Aamir Khan.

He is also a professional photographer.

Early Life
Boman Irani was born in Mumbai on 2 December 1959. After completing his graduation from Mithibai College, he worked as a waiter and room service staff for Taj Mahal Palace. He, however, had to leave that job and return to his mother`s bakery shop in Byculla, Mumbai due to her poor health.

Irani also tried a hand at photography between the years 1987 and 1989. Irani nurtured a passion for cinema right since college and learned professional acting under the guidance of Hansraj Sindhia from 1981 to 1983.

Soon after, he developed an interest in British theatre and picked up different accents.

Irani`s mentor was veteran theatre actor Alyque Padamsee who is best remembered for playing Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the epic biographical film, Gandhi (1982). He was introduced to Padamsee by Shiamak Davar.

Personal Life
Irani got married to Zenobia in 1985 after dating for three years. The couple has two sons, Danish and Kayoze Irani. He is a follower of Zoroastrianism.

Theatre:
Irani`s foray into theatre was with a cameo role in Roshni, a play at Regional theatre in Versova. Thereafter, he acted in plays like Family Ties and Mahatma Vs Gandhi, playing Gandhi, a role which was initially written for Darshan Jariwala.

One of his most memorable theatre performance till date has been I am not Bajiraao--an English play written and directed by Robert Da Cunha. Irani`s portrayal of Dhunjisha Batliwala was well received with critics dubbing his performance as "marvellous" and "acting with such finesse that you can`t help but applaud."

The play ran for 17 subsequent years.

Movie:
Irani made his Bollywood debut in 2000 with Shah Rukh Khan starrer Josh. In 2002, he acted in Ram Madhavani`s Let`s Talk. His portrayal of a husband who finds out about his wife`s affair received critical acclaim. His performance in the movie also helped him in bagging one of his career`s most defining role. Ram Madhavani had sent the tape of the movie to Vidhu Vinod Chopra who upon seeing Irani`s powerful performance decided to cast him in the role of a medical college dean in Munnabhai M.B.B.S (2003). It was only with the runaway success of the movie did the taste of authentic fame come to him. Irani`s depiction of friendly yet unyielding Dr. J. Asthana got him both critical and commercial backing in mainstream Bollywood. The movie earned him his first Filmfare nomination in the best comedic role category.

Irani`s second Filmfare nomination came for his role of a college principal in Shah Rukh Khan Starrer Main Hoon Na (2004).

After proving his mettle in comedy, Irani took a detour from his usual choice of roles to be cast in Farhan Akhtar`s crime thriller Don: The Chase Begins (2006) and Don 2: The King is back (2011) in a negative role. His performance in the latter earned him an IIFA nomination for best performance in a negative role. Apart from Don, he was also seen playing antagonist in Rani Mukherjee-Amitabh Bachhan starrer Eklavya and Munnabhai M.B.B.S sequel, Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006).

He also acted in Tarun Mansukhani`s romantic comedy Dostana (2008) starring Priyanka Chopra. Even though the movie was a huge commercial success, Irani`s presence in the film went without any lauding from the critics. Post Dostana, he appeared in a number of forgettable roles, a pattern which was broken with the release of Raj Kumar Hirani`s 3 Idiots (2009).

While Munnabahi M.B.B.S established Irani as an actor, 3 Idiots further concreted his standing in Bollywood. His portrayal of Virus, a stone-hearted engineering college dean is still considered to be one of the most notable Bollywood acts. Film critic, Rajeev Masand described Irani`s performance as the one that "inspires hearty laughs." 3 Idiots earned Irani his first Filmfare and an IIFA award in Best supporting actor and best negative role category respectively.

In 2010, Irani acted in Shyam Benegal`s critically acclaimed movie, Well Done Abba, starring Minisha Lamba. His performance in the movie garnered rave reviews. Film critic Taran Adarsh opined "Boman Irani is the lifeline of Well Done Abba. You can`t imagine any other actor enacting the part. He is incredible, handling the two roles differently and of course, impeccably."

In 2012, Irani appeared in a lead role opposite Farhan Khan in Bela Bhansali`s romantic comedy, Shirin Farad ki Toh Nikal Padi. The movie garnered positive to mixed critical reactions and enjoyed a good opening at the box-office. Praising the movie, film critic Sukanya Verma of Rediff said, "Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi certainly makes for a welcome break from farcical exaggerations. What sets this delightful love story apart is that it is woven around two 40-plus Parsis, who neither face the hurdle of age nor community."

In 2013, Irani made his Telegu movie debut with Attharintiki Daaredhi playing the role of Pawan Kalyan`s grandfather. He also appeared in supporting roles in high prolific movies such as Happy New Year (2014), PK (2014) and Dilwale (2015) all of which were big grosser at box office. In 2016, Irani essayed the role of Dr. Shroff in much awaited Marathi movie, Ventilator. The movie was declared commercial success upon its release with critics praising the performances of every cast member. His 2019 release includes PM Narendra Modi, Total Dhamaal, Housefull 4, Made In China and Jhalki. His 2021 releases include Yuvarathnaa and 83.