Delnaaz Irani is embracing the eccentricities of her latest character in Netflix’s Chumbak, where she plays Gulshan Tarapurwala, a loud and overbearing Parsi mother. Although the actress had deliberately stayed away from similar roles in the past, she says the new series gave her an opportunity to portray a Parsi family with greater depth.
The actress recalls that the cast and crew initially told her they could not imagine anyone else playing Gulshan. At first, she assumed they were simply being encouraging. After watching the completed episodes, however, Irani says she understood what they meant.
“Now, after watching all the episodes, I can proudly say that I cannot see any other Gulshan Tarapurwala besides me,” Irani says.
Delnaaz Irani Went Back to Her Wardrobe for the Audition
Landing the role involved considerable preparation even before Irani officially became part of the series.
Around two-and-a-half years ago, Irani met Chumbak creators Aatish Kapadia and Jamnadas Majethia at Rupali Ganguly’s birthday party. The two told her they were developing a project for Netflix and hoped she would eventually be part of it.
Irani already shared a professional history with the duo dating back to her Gujarati theatre days. She had worked with them on Batliwala House No. 43 in 2005 and later made cameo appearances in Khichidi and Baa Bahu Aur Baby.
Despite that history, she had never played a full-fledged role in one of their shows for a long time.
“I feel this is something I manifested,” she says.
When the audition eventually came around, Irani took the character preparation seriously. She searched through her own wardrobe and pulled out older clothes that could help her create the appearance of a Parsi mother.
Why Delnaaz Irani Avoided Parsi Characters for Years
Irani says she had consciously avoided playing Parsi characters because she was concerned about how the community is sometimes represented in Hindi entertainment.
“Parsis are often made to be caricatures,” she explains.
The actress also felt uncomfortable with the idea of portraying a Parsi character simply for comic effect. She says she did not speak Parsi Hindi and did not want language or mannerisms to become the entire basis of her performance.
“I didn’t want to do that because I don’t speak Parsi Hindi. And I didn’t want to play a Parsi [just for comic effect],” Irani says.
According to her, Chumbak approached the community differently. While the character has the exaggerated reactions and eccentric qualities expected from a comedy, the Parsi family remains integral to the story.
“In Chumbak, of course, the quirks, madness, and over-the-top [reactions] are all there. But we’ve shown a full-fledged Parsi family who is involved in taking the story ahead. It’s not a side character just for comedy,” she says.
Aatish Kapadia Had Delnaaz Irani in Mind for Gulshan
Irani says Kapadia’s confidence also helped convince her to take on the role.
According to the actress, Kapadia had already envisioned her while developing the character and encouraged her to give the audition her best.
“Aatish was very confident because somewhere he had written this part keeping me in mind,” she says.
That confidence appears to have helped Irani approach Gulshan without treating the character as simply another comic role.
Delnaaz on Amyra Dastur and Anant Joshi’s Parsi Characters
Irani also shared a humorous observation about her co-stars Amyra Dastur and Anant Joshi, who play Hutoxi and Freddy respectively.
Asked who is more Parsi between herself and Dastur, Irani laughs before bringing Joshi into the conversation.
“Anant thinks he has now become more Parsi than either of us,” she says.
According to Irani, Dastur plays a more restrained version of the character and understands the language, although she speaks it with an Anglicised tone.
“Amyra is a sober Parsi. She understands everything, but she speaks in Anglicised Parsi,” Irani explains.
She recalls that Kapadia would sometimes give instructions in Parsi and move on, leaving Joshi wondering who would explain them to him.
“But Anant was like, ‘Who will instruct me?’ It would be so funny,” she adds.
A Reunion With Aatish Kapadia and JD Majethia
For Irani, Chumbak also represents a reunion with two filmmakers who have been part of her career for years.
Her association with Kapadia and Majethia goes back to Batliwala House No. 43, the 2005 comedy sitcom in which she played Gulshan Batliwala. The show was adapted from the British comedy format The Kumars at No. 42.
Her return to a Parsi family comedy with the same creative team gives Chumbak an additional connection to Irani’s earlier work, while allowing her to approach the community and its characters from a different perspective.
