Boman Irani Marriage: A Baker's Tryst With Love And Life

Boman Irani was in charge of a well-to-do family business – selling savoury and potato chips. One day, when seated at the cash counter of his shop, Irani had a major epiphany. It dawned on him that there was much more to him than just selling chips – he had a creative human being inside him, and that person needed nurturing.

The feelings were strong enough to drive him to pick up his camera and become a professional photographer. Eventually, he made a foray into the world of theatre (as a weekend hobby), and the next thing you know, Irani had offers from production houses on his platter. The rest is history.

Boman Irani tied the knot with his wife Zenobia in 1985, and after two sons and 30 years of marriage, the couple are still the best of friends. Their love story is as simple and adorable as it gets – the kind that gets told for a thousand years to come. We’re going to tell it to you now.

Boman Irani – Shopkeeper, Photographer, Brilliant Actor

Boman Irani was born on the 2nd of December, 1959 in a Zoroastrian community in Mumbai – the youngest of four children. His father passed away before he was born, and thus his mother became the sole breadwinner and caretaker for Boman and his three sisters.

Irani received all of his formal education in Mumbai, and after his graduation, worked as a waiter at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai for many years. Thereafter, he started managing his family business – the aforementioned bakery that specialised in potato chips.

The fact is that Boman had taken up full responsibility of the family business after his mother had met with an accident. Still, the job didn’t satisfy him. He shared how he was actually a good shopkeeper, but always had that ‘fire in the belly’ which one day led to a total burnout.

The very next day, Boman left the business to his mother once more, and set out with his camera to Chennai to meet a friend who worked with an ad agency. The agency liked Boman’s previous shots and gave him a print photography assignment with a tyre company. This worked as a launchpad for Boman to find more work back in his home city of Mumbai.

In early 1990s, Boman turned to theatre as a weekend hobby and got a major role in a play directed by the choreographer and fellow-Parsi Shiamak Davar. Acting offers started pouring in thereafter but Boman accepted only a few of them. He mostly focused on theatre and acting in TV commercials since he believed films may derail his photography career. Eventually, however, he was coaxed into films by his friend Rahul Bose, and Boman made his debut with the film Everybody Says I’m Fine! (2001), which was directed by Rahul Bose himself.

In 2003, Boman appeared in the cult classic Munnabhai M.B.B.S. directed by Rajkumar Hirani. The film catapulted Boman to peak fame, literally overnight. Since then, Boman Irani has carved out for himself a niche among the most versatile supporting actors in Bollywood. He is one of the few actors who has seen meteoric rise in fame and popularity in a very short duration of time – all thanks to his impeccable acting talent and dedication towards his work.

Zenobia – The One And Only True Love

It was one day, at work at the family shop, when a pretty woman walked in to buy some potato chips. Boman was smitten the moment he saw the girl. He made it a point to have an informal chat with her when she came to his counter to make the payment. Boman learnt that her name was Zenobia – she was a Parsi, as Boman had suspected by the lady’s attire and accent.

She was nearly his age and the two enjoyed a chat. Zenobia seemed to like Boman too, since she started visiting the shop every alternate day to speak with Boman on the pretext of buying potato chips. The two eventually started seeing one another but predominantly kept their interactions within the walls of the shop since Boman had a business to manage. Zenobia became a frequent fixture at the bakery as she started visiting the shop every day – becoming perhaps their biggest customer.

The situation was perfect for young businessman Boman Irani. The Zoroastrians live in a closely-knit community where the matrimonial preference is given only to a match within the community – whether arranged or a one arrived through love. For Boman and Zenobia it was a brilliant circumstance since they ticked all the boxes, which meant they were less likely to face resistance from their respective families, which is exactly what happened. Boman and Zenobia’s families gave a nod to their relationship and the two had a traditional Parsi wedding on 28th January 1985. The couple were blessed with two sons viz. Danesh Irani and Kayoze Irani.

Friends Forever

In an interview, Boman once shared that Zenobia is the person he loves the most in this world since she is his conscience and soulmate. She is someone who has seen her husband rise from being a shopkeeper to the popular celebrity he is today, and is still by his side as an anchor.

“She is willing to tell me where I am going wrong and never has to fear where she may offend me. When she tells you, it’s not an opinion, but it is care…. Even if she says something rude, she will say it so comically that no one will ever take offence.”
– Boman Irani about his wife Zenobia

Boman also added that Zenobia is clear-headed and selfless and for that reason even his entire family values her opinion. The pair has definitely seen some tough times together but have sailed through it all with faith and resilience. We wish the couple many years of togetherness and happiness, and on that note, we look forward to Boman’s next wonderful performance.

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