India FM

Mumbai, Mar 8: He has won several personality contests including the Grasim Mr. India pageant in year 2005. If that wasn’t enough, he has also trained as a Merchant Navy Officer! A man of such caliber and good looks, Viraf Patel is now going to set foot into Bollywood with a debutante act in the film Mummyji.

Director Pammi Somal went up to him and offered him a role in her film. Although the role is not very big, Viraf agreed to do it anyway. Viraf is all in awe of his director Pammiji. “After I won the Grasim Mr. India contest, I did a lot of theatre, television commercials and music videos,” he elaborates. “Almost two years after that, Pammiji approached me for a role in her film. She put across the role very sweetly. She instilled a feeling of trust in me, as she knew this was my first film. She asked me not to worry, and handled us pretty well. She took us as her children, and she was our mother on the sets.”

The talented debutante sure did his homework before his advent into showbiz. “After I won the title, I met Kishore Namit Kapoor. I told him that I did not want to waste any time and wanted to learn acting. He did not even discuss the fees; he directly asked me to come on board.” Viraf has also taken formal training in dance, diction and martial arts.

Mummyji claims to be a slice-of-life comic flick. It stars Kiron Kher in the title role. Her two sons, Karan and Arjun, are played by Viraf Patel and Sachin Sharma (of television soaps). Their sister Simran is played by a debutante actress called Simran. Minissha Goswami plays the role of Karan’s wife.

Obedient and respectful as he is, Viraf got his first pay-cheque made in his mother’s name and presented it to her on her birthday. He said he has three mothers, one is his real mother, the other is Kiron Kher, and the third, of course, is Pammiji!

So what kind of films is he looking at in the future? “Right now, I have two other projects lined up. But I am only focusing on Mummyji.” He said that he wants to be cast in good roles that have a definite shade instead of just loose characterization, and he has all the patience in the world for the best to come his way.

Mummyji is in its post production stage at the moment. The producers are aiming at a special Mothers Day release in the month of May.