She shot to fame as little Raju in the 1959 Hindi film, 'Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan', starring Meena Kumari and Rajendra Kumar. Over 50 years later, Honey Irani is still part of the whimsical and magical world of cinema. Her sister Daisy Irani and she literally grew up in the film industry and acted in several movies, mostly as curly-haired little boys, during the 60s and early 70s.
Rewinding back to those days, Honey shares, “I used to howl as soon I saw the studio gates, shouting and screaming that I didn’t want to go in.” But enter the gates she did, as well as the hearts of cinema audiences, and went on to become a beloved child actor like her sister. “Those days, people actually cared about us on the sets. I remember often spending the nights at Meena Kumariji’s place. She was like a mother to me. Today, I don’t see actors bonding like that with their co-stars,” she says, pointing out the difference between the industry then and now.
Of course, some things have changed for the better, as Honey notes, “Technologically, films have become fabulous, but I feel that the quality of scripts have deteriorated. Even the music of yesteryears’ films is still cherished, but the music of today is soon forgotten.”
What does she think of children on screen today? “Sadly, kids are losing their innocence. We see them on reality shows, dancing to songs like 'Chikni Chameli'. There’s nothing childlike about such performances. And I think, the parents are to be blamed for this,” she laments.
Speaking of her children, both Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, are doing exceptionally well. Does the credit go to their genes? “A little bit,” the proud mother quips, before adding “No, seriously, it’s the result of their hard work. They’ve both been very hard working ever since they were kids, and touchwood, they are doing very well.”
So, will we ever see her on the silver screen again? “Definitely not,” Honey says emphatically.
Since she is the International live action jury chairperson at the Children’s Film Festival, we ask her if she has any favourites from the films she’s watched. “There are some very good films, but I cannot talk about them now. You will have to wait for the results,” she says with a smile.
