Delnaaz Irani is entering a new phase of her career with Chumbak, her first big OTT show. The actress plays Gulshan Taraporewala in the Netflix comedy series, which features an ensemble cast including Neena Gupta, Deven Bhojani, Amyra Dastur and Anant V. Joshi. For Delnaaz, however, the experience went beyond simply being part of a large cast, with the actress crediting the camaraderie between the actors for making the sets an especially enjoyable place to work.
Delnaaz Irani calls Chumbak ‘a role of a lifetime’: “This is my second innings at 54”
Talking about the casting, Delnaaz said, “I think everybody was superb, and the casting was absolutely marvellous. I would give a lot of credit to JD, Aatish and the entire team at Netflix because the casting is so fresh, and when you see each character, you realise that everyone fits into their role perfectly.”
The actress also recalls working with veteran performers Neena Gupta and Deven Bhojani. “With actors like Neena ji and Deven, there are obviously no doubts because they are such incredible and experienced performers. I have always looked up to Neena ji, I absolutely love her, and I have admired Deven’s work for years as well, so it was a complete pleasure working with both of them,” she shared.
According to Delnaaz, the chemistry between the different families in Chumbak was one of the highlights of the experience. “The entire team of Chumbak was so well in sync with each other, and every family had such a natural chemistry. Whether it was Deven and Neena ji, Sumit Vyas and Manasi Parekh, or Sumeet Raghavan and Sandeepa, every pairing worked beautifully and the scenes just flowed naturally. It never felt like someone was trying too hard to make you laugh. Everyone was genuinely comfortable with each other, which reflected on screen,” Delnaaz stated.
When asked about the biggest prankster on set, Delnaaz names Arjun Bijlani and also singles out Amyra Dastur for bringing energy to the team. “I would say Arjun Bijlani was the biggest prankster on our set. Arjun is an absolute sweetheart, and he and Amyra were definitely the gossip mongers of our set. The moment Arjun and Amyra got together, the entire set would come alive,” she mentioned.
Delnaaz further describes Amyra as someone who became an important part of the show’s atmosphere. “As JD mentioned during the trailer launch, Amyra is truly the heart of our team and the heart of the show. She is a person with a heart of gold, but at the same time, she is full of masti and is an absolute prankster. Her vibrant and vivacious personality, along with Arjun’s energy, made the atmosphere on set so much fun, and I think that energy also came through beautifully in their scenes,” she added.
The actress also shares a close equation with Amyra and Anant V. Joshi, who plays her on-screen son. Delnaaz went on, “A lot of times with Amyra and Anant, we had such wonderful fun together. There was hardly a dull moment, and I honestly don’t remember a single day when there wasn’t some masti happening on set. Amyra is always up to something, and of course, Anant is such a versatile actor. I absolutely love that boy. He is a brilliant actor and such a lovely, lovely person.”
Praising Anant’s transformation into his character, she adds, “If you watch Anant in the show, you won’t even feel that it is Anant Joshi. You will only see him as Freddy Taraporewala because he has completely become the character. The scenes were beautifully written and so much fun to perform. We were just enjoying ourselves and having a great time,” she asserted.
For Delnaaz, Chumbak also marks an important professional milestone. “Chumbak is my first big OTT show, and I really want it to work because this is my second innings at 54, and I genuinely feel this is a role of a lifetime for me. Gulshan is a character that I believe can stay with people for years,” said the actress.
She hopes Gulshan receives the same kind of affection she earlier experienced for Sweetu. “It reminds me of the kind of love I received for Sweetu, and I feel Gulshan too has the potential to be remembered for a long time. If people love the show, I am sure they will also love Gulshan, and as an actor, who doesn’t want their character to be loved by the audience?” she shared.
With Chumbak bringing together several actors with television backgrounds, Delnaaz believes its success could have wider implications for the team. “There are so many people who have worked on this show, and a lot of us come from a television background, so getting an opportunity to be on OTT is really special for all of us. I genuinely feel that if Chumbak works, it will be like a jackpot for everyone involved,” she maintained.
Delnaaz concluded, “I really hope this opens more doors for me to do more work on OTT, whether it is films or series,” signalling her interest in exploring more opportunities across the streaming space.
Also Read: Aatish Kapadia picks his favourite Chumbak role: “Gulshan Tarapurwala, without a doubt!”
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