“Never Meet Your Stars”: Boman Irani’s Surprising Advice to Parleen Gill

Mumbai: Popular singer and Indian Idol finalist Parleen Gill is a big fan of the versatile actor Boman Irani. He shares something interesting about his interaction with the 3 Idiots actor.
“Boman Irani is very close to me. I love him dearly, and he loves me a lot too. We were on a ship in Singapore, where I was performing. We spent three or four days together, which led to a very special friendship. We’ve stayed in touch since then.
He once told me, ‘Parleen, never meet your stars.’ I asked him, ‘Why, sir?’ He said, ‘They will disappoint you.’ I replied, ‘Sir, what if I go without any expectations?’ He said, ‘Well, then there’s no problem.’
I told him, ‘Sir, if I go with the mindset that it could be a positive or negative experience — if it’s positive, I’ll be inspired; if it’s negative, I’ll learn a lesson.’ He agreed, saying, ‘Yeah, that’s a good point.’”
Parleen further adds, “I’ve seen people around me change after achieving fame. I’ve seen people change once fame and money come into the picture. My parents taught me that the tree that bends is the one that bears fruit.
So I will continue to be this way. Whether it’s my driver, my watchman, or the Prime Minister of India, I will treat everyone the same. That’s my belief. I’ll meet everyone just as I’m meeting you.
I just wish everyone would look at things from this perspective. But then again, not everyone in society is the same — and that’s fine. There are all kinds of people, so what’s the issue? It’s okay; we’ll learn something from them — at least what not to do.”