The auditorium at the International Film Festival Delhi erupted into thunderous applause as Boman Irani took a bow—not just as an actor the nation adores, but as a filmmaker in a powerful new chapter of his creative journey. Irani’s directorial debut, The Mehta Boys, which he has also produced and co-written, was screened at the festival to a roaring reception, eliciting a full-fledged standing ovation.
At its heart, The Mehta Boys is an intimate, bruised portrait of a father-son relationship scarred by distance and unresolved emotions. Irani plays a rigid, emotionally guarded father forced into close quarters with his estranged son, played by Avinash Tiwary, after the death of the family’s matriarch. What unfolds is reconciliation by confrontation, where grief becomes the catalyst for truths long buried.
Alongside the screening, Irani conducted a masterclass focused on the craft of screenwriting, offering valuable insights into building emotionally resonant stories. Drawing from his own journey—from scriptwriting to acting and now direction—he used personal experiences to illustrate his process, while guiding attendees on how to better understand structure, character, and the power of unpredictability in storytelling.
“If the audience is expecting a hug,” Irani told the rapt room, “you must not give them what they think is coming.” To drive the point home, he shared an anecdote from the father and son saga.
He says, "The story is I didn't tell anyone about the fact that I was going to kiss my onscreen son at the climax. I didn't let the DOP or the actors know of this. I positioned two cameras and I told the cameraman that even if I say cut, don't cut, keep on capturing the take. So when I kiss my onscreen son, everyone gasps on set. People on the monitor started crying. My son started crying and the AD went behind a bus and started crying. So surprise is a very good tool for directors. You're expecting a hug, but you got something else completely."