IFFD 2026: Boman Irani describes himself ‘youngster’, says ‘you’re never too old’ to chase dreams

NEW DELHI: Actor-director Boman Irani attended the ongoing International Film Festival of Delhi 2026 and shared his thoughts on cinema, age, and creativity.

Speaking to the media on Day 3 of the festival, Boman, who made his directorial debut at the age of 65 with ‘The Mehta Boys’ (2025), spoke about how one is never too old to start something new. Sharing his experience of beginning his journey as a director later in life and calling himself a “youngster,” he encouraged people to keep working and creating.

“My film debut, how old was I? 65? When I made my directorial debut. So, I’m also a youngster. So, I would like to say this. You’re never too old to do anything. Don’t ever think that your time is up. It’s not like that. Till the very end, you can keep on working, creating, reinventing yourself. And in that reinvention, there’s so much fun that your health also improves. You get excited. You think, we’ll do this, we’ll do that.”

“You must always have a plan. What will you do next? Don’t say only for youngsters. Everybody is young as long as you have the heart to do it,” he added.

During #IFFDelhi, actor Boman Irani shared his journey & craft in a masterclass and discussed the growth of India’s orange economy at the Industry Roundtable.

Find the complete story on #PBSHABD. Register now at https://t.co/LZ0P6DOeUF#BomanIrani #IndianCinema #OrangeEconomy… pic.twitter.com/QYztiPG2en

— PB-SHABD (@PBSHABD) March 28, 2026

Talking about the festival, Irani said it feels like a “great beginning” and praised the venue and scale of the event. He noted that even though this is the first edition, it already feels well-established and has the potential to grow bigger in the coming years.

“I think this is a great beginning. I think I’ll tell you, coming to Bharat Mandapam and looking at this venue, I think the best thing they did was to get an international film festival. Even though it’s the first one, it just feels that this has been going on for years. This is how I feel. But what I would like to say is this can only become bigger and bigger and be truly the hub of the world. This is what I believe. We have a location set-up, infrastructure. Our government, they are promoting.”

Organised by the Delhi Tourism & Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC) in association with the Government of Delhi, with KPMG as knowledge partner, the International Film Festival of Delhi is a government-led, city-wide festival showcasing Indian and international cinema while making film culture accessible to audiences across the capital.

The week-long festival, running from March 25 to 31, features a series of screenings, discussions, and industry events across various venues in New Delhi, uniting filmmakers, industry professionals, and audiences from around the globe. (ANI)