Boman Irani steps behind the camera for his directorial debut in The Mehta Boys, a poignant exploration of father-son dynamics, set to premiere on Prime Video worldwide on February 7. This Prime Video Original movie, starring Irani alongside Avinash Tiwary, Shreya Chaudhry, and Puja Sarup, delves into the complexities of family relationships as an estranged father and son are forced to confront their tumultuous past during an unexpected 48-hour encounter. The film, which has already made waves in the international festival circuit, offers a nuanced look at relationships and the path to reconciliation.
The film's global premiere at the 15th Chicago South Asian Film Festival (CSAFF) in September 2024, where it cinched the Best Feature Film award, marked the beginning of its award-winning run. Irani's performance also shone through with a Best Actor win at the International Film Festival of South Asia in Toronto the following month. The Mehta Boys continued to garner acclaim with its Asia debut at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in November 2024 and opened the Indian Film Festival Berlin in January 2025.
As The Mehta Boys prepares for its streaming debut in India and across 240 countries and territories worldwide, we sat down with the cast to delve into the heart of the movie and their characters.
Edited excerpts from our conversation.
Boman, the movie explores the complexities of a father-son relationship and we watch it unfold over a 48-hour period. What went into portraying the tension and evolution of this relationship in such a condensed time frame?
Irani: A condensed time frame is key. Screenwriting is not like writing a novel, which can go on for 500 pages. It has to be very specific, very exact and still feel like it's fluid. What can really help here is layering. The storyline is about a father-son relationship and the 48 hours that they spend together. This storyline has throughout been underlined by a theme—the ego that both of them emulate, their stupidity, and their masculinity, or its lack thereof.
The moment you have these three themes in every scene it becomes easy to write. For instance, if we’re writing a scene where they’re both in an elevator when the building loses electricity, how do we make it work for the theme? Masculinity. Amay (played by Avinash Tiwary) says “Give me your hand” but Shiv (played by Boman Irani) firmly declines and there—you got a scene. In many ways, the movie starts writing itself. It sounds easier than I'm making it out to be and I've made it sound a little academic, but you just have to keep reiterating the thematic values of this film.
And as a father to two sons yourself, how did your personal experiences or opinions impact your approach to both directing and acting in this movie?
Irani: I have a pretty good relationship with my sons; however, everything is not wine and roses. There will always be conflict and if there aren't conflicts between fathers and sons, something is wrong. If I were only going to take from my real-life experiences with my sons, it won't make for great drama. We needed extreme drama in the movie and as the film progresses, you realise that it progressively keeps escalating, till the car (quite literally) spins out of control. This instance never happened in my life but I have done a reasonable amount of research with a lot of people who are fathers, and a lot of people who are sons.
A lot of the situations that our characters are in have come from real life anecdotes. I know of a father and son that spun the car, I know a pair who even came to blows and all of this was quite sad to know. While there may have been misunderstandings between my sons and I, they’ve escalated to a certain level and then been resolved. For cinema though, you've got to make it escalate to a point where the food burns (referencing a scene from the movie).
Avinash, your character has been shown to struggle with impostor syndrome when it comes to his career. Are there any personal instances where you faced something similar? Or do you have advice for someone struggling with it?
Tiwary: My character struggles with the ability to face authority and that comes from his relationship with the primary authority figure in his life—his father. Personally, I have gone through a time where that figure of respect or reverence kind of crossed that line to reaching a place of almost fearing them. What I have learned from this is that you don't need to make yourself feel smaller just to respect someone or acknowledge someone who's better and bigger than you. That is what happens in the movie with Amay; an architect who is very good at what he does but doesn't have the faith in himself because he fears judgment.
When you start feeling like this, you have to back your own self. I always say that there's no one who hypes me up more than myself and I think that has helped me deal with these situations. So, if that works for someone, I think that's one way to go.
Shreya, can you tell us about your character's role in this dynamic as Amay's girlfriend and how she influences their journey to reconciliation? Considering she is also in a unique position to see different sides of Amay as a colleague, as a partner and as a son.
Chaudhry: I play Zara who is a very empowered, independent woman of today and who absolutely loves Amay. She recognises the expanse of his capabilities more than he does and she wants to push him to believe in himself a little more. She motivates him through her actions and not by saying “I love you” which I think is beautiful and the genius of the film’s writing. She shares a special bond with Amay's father bringing some softness to their interactions. The way we’re all raised in our country, we also behave differently with our partner's parents and all my scenes with Boman sir’s character reflect that sheer love and respect.
At times, you need someone to offer an unbiased opinion on your relationship and Zara does that, just like every female character in the movie anchoring the boys’ relationship. Zara’s empowerment does not stem from being aggressive or superficial but from just being gentle and in touch with that beautiful feminine energy and tenderness that women tend to bring into relationships which is what drew me to the role.
Puja, the choice to care for an aging parent, although a universal theme, is also a strong cultural expectation tied to familial responsibility in India. How do you think your character's decision reflects this? And how might it be viewed differently by international audiences?
Sarup: That’s a very interesting question; I hadn’t thought about it. Even in India now, there are retirement homes or similar projects that have come up. I know a lot of people who are seriously considering it and also people who have actually moved there. I feel especially when someone's away from home like Anu (Sarup’s character), she feels like she has no other choice and has to take her father with her to the U.S. Yes, it is part of the cultural expectation here but there are also so many emotions that come with it: there's guilt and the fear of not having been there for your parents. It's a complicated thing to deal with and I think that's why Anu is like ‘I gotta take this guy home with me.’ Also, she doesn't have much hopes from her brother. What will he do? And what will the Mehta boys do if they're left alone?
The movie also touches upon what home means for us and how certain items make it home. What is one thing you have in each of your homes that you would take with you if you were to move tomorrow?
Tiwary: I just moved away from my parents last year and I only wanted to bring things that I needed. I took nothing except a small cushion which has a picture of my parents and me on it. One day my dad walked into my new place and said, “If that stays on the bed, no girl will come into this room.” But it stays with me on my bed for now.
Chaudhry: I live with my parents and my dog, and I feel really lucky to have them. Nothing else really matters as home is where they are. I can't really think of a physical item that I’d require if I have them with me.
Irani: This question has made me very sad having to think that I'll be leaving home. But maybe I’ll take my chai ka mug.
Sarup: We have this grandfather clock that actually belonged to my grandfather. He got it from a friend who was moving to Pakistan during the Partition. That clock has been with us for decades and my grandfather was the only one who could make it work. After he passed on, it hasn’t worked despite many attempts. That clock has a story and is a reminder of how you are standing on the shoulders of your ancestors. That is the item I would take.
What's on your Prime Video watch list?
Sarup: Paatal Lok, Waack Girls, and I want to rewatch Girls Will Be Girls.
Chaudhry: I recently watched Paatal Lok and I absolutely loved it. It's one of my most favourite shows ever and continues to be.
Tiwary: I haven’t watched Paatal Lok and The Boys yet, so those two. I also want to watch Bandish Bandits because I’ve heard so much about it from Shreya (Chaudhry stars in the movie).
Irani: I've been trained and taught to say Bandish Bandits *eyes Shreya*. And I'm a big fan of Jaideep Ahlawat who I think is an amazing actor, so Paatal Lok too and lastly, Waack Girls as my dear friend Sooni (Taraporewala, director of the show) has supported me so much and I want to support her too.
What's the last item you added to your Amazon cart?
Tiwary: Some protein supplement.
Chaudhry: My dog's food.
Sarup: A t-shirt with a butterfly on it.
Irani: I'm technologically challenged, so I get somebody else to do it for me, but I’ve wanted an air drum set.
