What can you expect when funnyman Boman Irani and the tell-it-like-it-is Farah Khan play Parsi sweethearts in their upcoming film? Jokes on towels, lagan nu custard and sweet nothings in Parsi, for starters, finds Itee Sharma in a rapid fire session with the duo

In their upcoming film directed by Bela Sehgal, Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, Boman Irani and Farah Khan play 40-plus, unmarried Parsi sweethearts. The film marks Farah's acting debut and Boman's first film as a lead hero. The duo have us in splits in a rapid fire session held, quite unusually, in a car parked in the compound of a mill.

Any Parsi sweet nothings you two have for each other?
Farah: Dil ch ....
Boman: I thought you'll say something nice, Farah.
Farah: Ok, maro lagan nu custard.

And you, Boman?
Boman: Maree plum pudding.
Farah: Plump?
Boman: Not plump, plum pudding.

Which Parsi gaali do you think fits the other?
Farah: Should I say, mental manoos?
Boman: Nahi, khelsappa bol. It means mad.
Farah: Ok, khelsappa.
Boman: Saparchand means apple.


What is the maddest thing you two have done during the shooting?
Farah: He is spreading these stupid rumours that we used to practice the kissing scene.
Boman: She may deny all these rumors - but they are true.

What is the funniest thing about Farah?
Boman: She can be very funny when she is pant-utaaraaoing people!

If Boman was cast in Saawariya, how would he look in the towel sequence?
Farah: I think he looked much better in the towel scene in Shirin Farhad than Ranbir Kapoor did in Saawariya. And Boman's towel is smaller - it is a face towel!

Can you visualise Farah shaking her leg to Sheila Ki Jawaani?
Boman: I am disappointed with myself for not coming up with this idea. I think she would have been fantastic. I fantasise about it all the time.
Farah: Thanks, haan.


How would life be, if you were single at 50?
Farah: I was a spinster till 40. When you are married, you miss the freedom of being available for friends at all times but motherhood, too, is very important.
Boman: I feel like a bachelor even now.
Farah: Because you are still one. Your children are married and gone.

But he does mention his wife all the time.
Farah: That is his cover-up.
Boman: My problem is that I keep mentioning Zenobia all the time. I must control myself.

Does Boman fit your idea of a perfect partner?
Farah: He has some qualities.
Boman:: Only some?
Farah: He is lovely father and a very good friend. And Boman, I don't think you shout at Zenobia or fight with her. Do you?
Boman: I never raise my voice.
Farah: He is very gentle and more than a boyfriend, he is good husband material.


Does Farah fit your idea of a perfect woman?
Boman: I have to say something nice (with a hint of mischief in his voice).
Farah: No, you don't have to.
Boman: She makes a superb mother. She directs, choreographs and now acts, too, but always finds time for her children.

What clothes would Boman look sexy in?
Farah: In a towel, of course.

What clothes would Farah look sexy in, Boman?
Farah: In the same towel.
Boman: Bombay Dyeing se baat karna padega. We will have to put in a request.
Farah: Ya, we can be the next models for Bombay Dyeing.


Farah is making her acting debut at the age of 47. Since you are a late bloomer too, did you give her any acting tips?
Boman: Actors should always support each other because you are only as good as your co-actor. Fortunately, Farah came in with a completely open slate and heart and a humble attitude toward acting. She knows she is good and is brimming with enthusiasm and humility. I hope I was there for her, too.

Farah: Bela, the director, was always there, of course, but Boman, too, was so helpful and is such a brilliant actor. Besides the great script and the fact that it is Sanjay and Bela's movie, I did it because Boman was playing Farhad.

He is a generous actor with a lot of positive energy. He taught me yogic breathing, which put me to sleep in some of the scenes. He taught me nuances that helped me not only as an actor, but will come in handy as a director too.

Farah, you got married at 40, around the same age your character Shirin finds love in the film. Did that help you relate to the character?
Farah: My character, a middle class Parsi lady, unlike me, does a 9 to 5 job. She is feisty and practical, wants to find and marry the love of her life. But I wasn't hunting for love at 40, I am lucky I just found it.

But, like my character Shirin, I am quite blunt. Even the romance in the film is very different from the sort I had with Shirish. By the way, Boman got married when he was 24. It was completely ulta for him.


Farah, you underwent a tummy tuck after the film was shot. Why not before you began shooting for it?
Farah: I did not find the time and the motivation. An hour after I saw the film in the editing room, I booked the tummy tuck. I had to lose weight.

Was it difficult for the two of you to feel romantic about each other?
Boman: Luckily, the romance in the film was clumsy rather than mushy.
Farah: Even the romantic dialogues in the film are quite stupid. For instance, there's a dialogue, `Mera paani ka tanki todna, lekin mera dil nahi todna!`