Byculla is one of the oldest neighborhoods where heroic persona Boman Irani is living from past forty-seven years of his life. The area is replete with historical places of significance. While in the old days, he shared Byculla was an elite locality boasting of opulent residences, today its main attractions differ. But, he says, “There was a property for over a hundred years — and the real estate developers wanted to redevelop it. It lost it’s charm! But when I came to Byculla, the quaint place having it’s old world charm attracted me to it. I was looking for a two bedroom flat, the broker assured us a three BHK. I couldn’t afford it back then. I remember, had just signed Munna Bhai MBBS & immediately started calculating the EMIs. For weeks, was muttering to myself.”
Anil Kapoor noticed Boman Irani talking under his breath and couldn’t stop himself from asking Boman — what do you keep thinking for such long long times? Boman answered, “I am falling short on buying a flat. But Anil said, just go for it! He made me believe ‘paise ayenge’. He said don’t buy furniture for a while, sleep on the floor but just buy the flat dude!” The colour of the wall came in after months of persuasion to his wife, because she found sky blue to be very dull. He continued, “After three paint jobs, my wife agreed finally. Colour pops well! I have my own quiet place inside my sanctuary too — I went to a guy who was designo theatre seats that were reclined and I was in dire need of those. From the windows you can see a little parsi town of our own (he laughs).
I have a habit: if an idea strucks to me in the middle of the night, I don’t mind loosing my sleep over it and come to this quote corner, make notes.”Money can buy a fancy holiday, but not nostalgia. Nostalgia is sacred for Boman Irani! “How you hang said photos on your walls can also upgrade the pieces themselves, turning iPhone shots into museum-worthy magic. It reflects innocence. I have two seperate photo walls — one that showcases every penny spent on my family and the other that shows my characters from the movies I did. We used a slew of bite-sized photos to frame accents in our home, in a door-filled hallway. We campfire ourselves to this room. Part of the fun in displaying photography around home are the tiny moments of surprise it can bring. We are in a position to welcome people, my heart thumps with joy.”
