Boman Irani Reveals ‘Mehta Boys’ Began As A One-Liner From Sujoy Ghosh

PANAJI, (ANI) – Boman Irani shared the heartfelt journey of creating his film The Mehta Boys during its screening at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The film, which Irani wrote and directed, began with a simple idea pitched to him a decade ago by filmmaker Sujoy Ghosh.

“This movie started with a one-liner Sujoy Ghosh gave me 10 years ago,” Irani recalled. “That one line became the beginning of the story. I decided I would write and direct it. Over time, the story evolved into something very close to my heart.”

Irani credited his collaboration with Alex Dinelaris, an Oscar-winning writer, for shaping the film. “I met my friend Alex in New York, and we worked together for years to develop the story. Alex became like a brother to me, and he connected with the film on the same emotional level as I did. It’s a story about family, and in the process, we became a family. We had to be more truthful than ever to make this film,” he said.

Actress Shreya Chaudhry, who stars in The Mehta Boys, expressed her excitement about attending IFFI for the first time. “I’ve always wanted to come to IFFI, and it feels incredibly special to be here with The Mehta Boys, a film that means so much to me,” she told reporters.

Speaking about working with Boman Irani, Shreya added, “He’s someone you instantly fall in love with after just five minutes. Imagine getting to work with him not only as a co-actor—which was my dream—but also being directed by him. It’s been a surreal, full-circle moment for me.”

IFFI 2024, which began on November 20, features over 180 films from 81 countries, including 16 world premieres, 43 Asian premieres, and 109 Indian premieres. This year’s festival also includes a special tribute program to celebrate the 100th birth anniversaries of Indian cinema legends Raj Kapoor, Tapan Sinha, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and Mohammed Rafi.