New Delhi, Dec 4

A professional photographer, Boman Irani had done theatre and featured in many TV commercials before he entered Bollywood. Having delivered some memorable performances since then, the versatile 52-year-old actor says he is lucky to be there at a time when different directors are bringing different styles to cinema.

"I like to call myself a newcomer because I have been in this industry barely for eight years. But I have been fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work with some of the best actors and directors of Bollywood. So it has been a wonderful learning experience," Boman told IANS in an interview.

"I have been lucky to work with directors like Shyam Benegal, Rajkumar Hirani and others in such a short span of time. So, I consider myself very lucky that I have got the opportunity to work with the people who make you look better on screen. Everyone gets a break, but how to convert that one break into opportunities is a matter of luck and sheer hard work," he added.

The charismatic actor has always tried to stay away from the stereotypes and experimented with his roles, making sure he doesn't get typecast in any particular role. And he credits today's filmmakers for having different visions and executing their ideas differently.

"What is happening is there is a different type of cinema with different directors and their vision. Different directors are giving different styles of storytelling. Like Anurag Basu has a different approach, so do Raju Hirani, Farhan Akhtar, Nagesh Kukunoor, Milan Luthria have," said Boman, who has worked in films like "Munnabhai M.B.B.S.", "Being Cyrus" and "3 Idiots".

"All of them have different approaches. So they have different subjects to present with different treatments and automatically they create different characters. Sometimes they even write a character keeping an actor in mind," he added.

His initial films "Boom" and "Darna Mana Hai" bit the dust at the box office. But his true calling came with "Munnabhai M.B.B.S", in which his role as Dr. J.C. Asthana, had a sense of sarcastic comedy to it.

The movie did well at the box-office and there was no looking back for Boman, who always loved acting. And for the actor, this journey has been quite fruitful.

"In all these years, there have been a lot of discoveries. I have made new friends, had many re-unions. There is a new understanding with every director I have worked with. Over the period of years, I have seen their growth. They have evolved in their approach and hence I too have learnt from them," he said.

"Like Farhan (Akhtar), I had worked with him five years back and when we started working on 'Don 2', I saw how he has evolved as a filmmaker. So you learn every day and evolve and grow," he added.

With the release of "Don 2: The King Is Back" just around the corner, Boman reveals his character is the same as the one in "Don: The Chase Begins Again", but situations have changed and so has the motivation of his character Vardhaan.

"In the trailer you have seen me in the orange prison suit. So the character is the same, he has spent five years in jail. And in all those years he has become hardened. As a person he has lost a little bit of shine and gloss. But he will come back because all this while he has been robbed of good food and good life. So the character is the same, but the motivation is different, situations are different," he said.

Directed by Farhan Akhtar, "Don 2: The King Is Back" has Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles. It will release Dec 23.