The Mehta Boys, Boman Irani‘s directorial debut is the story of a father and son who don’t get along but are forced to spend time together in unusual circumstances. The film stars Irani and Avinash Tiwary as the father-son duo. Ahead of the film’s release, Tiwary speaks with HT about how relatable he found the story and where he drew his emotions from. (Also read: Boman Irani says his directorial debut The Mehta Boys shows how ‘we’re all guilty of backseat driving’ as parents)
Avinash Tiwary on The Mehta Boys’ relatability
Avinash says that the film’s relatability and real-world setting made the job more challenging, as some of his emotions were uncomfortable. “It was more relatable to me, I understood it much more. I understood the nuances a lot more. What is interesting is that in this film, though it seems I understood it, but to be able to open and see it, was more uncomfortable,” he says, adding, “It’s really close quarters. If it was absolutely fantasy, it’s slightly at a distance and you can create a wall. But when it’s relatable, it’s more uncomfortable.”
Boman told HT he drew the father-son relationship from reality even if it wasn’t from his own life. He said, “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.”
Avinash on drawing from ‘irritating’ personal experiences
Avinash, however, did have some parallels to see from his own life. The film has a track where the father trivialises his son’s career as an architect. As an actor, Avinash says he has seen that from his own family members. “You sit down, have a conversation, make them understand. But the second time you hear, you realise your word isn’t getting through. The third time you shout or scream, but nothing changes,” he says with a laugh before adding, “The beauty is that it won’t change. I do believe that deep down they wish so well for you, and they want to protect you. It is irritating,” he shares.
The actor recounts that he often gets probing questions about his career at home. “Today morning, they were home and we were sitting and during the conversation, he started asking me ‘what is your next project’. And after five questions, I started thinking ‘don’t go there’. I want to avoid it so I turn away from him, but it doesn’t happen. So before I erupt, I get up and begin talking to someone else,” he shares with a smile. But the actor adds that he can deal with it because he understands all the questions come from a place of concern, not malice. “I recognise the intent. That allows me to look at the bigger picture and look at how we deal with those situations,” he concludes.
The Mehta Boys stars Boman Irani, Avinash Tiwary, Shreya Chaudhry and Puja Sarup. The film is slated to be released on Amazon Prime Video on February 7.
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