Mirror (January 24) was the first to report that Irrfan Khan had been approached for the screen adaptation of the Dan Brown novel, Inferno, being directed by Ron Howard, the Oscar winning director of A Beautiful Mind. It is the third installment in the Robert Langdon series with Tom Hanks returning as the Harvard symbologist. The problem then was that the makers wanted Irrfan's dates from April 1 but he had committed the whole month to promote Piku which opens on April 30.

"They want three chunks of dates and if we can adjust the first schedule, I should be able to do the film," Irrfan had said, pointing out that he'd already turned down a meaty role in Ridley Scott's The Martians because Shoojit Sircar's schedule was sealed.

Fortunately for him, this time, the Hollywood studio asked him exactly when in April he had to be back in India for Piku and worked their schedule around that.

It wasn't only dates that they accomodated. "Ron who's the father of my Jurassic World co-star, Dallas Bryce Howard, had offered me another role. But after going through the script, I told him that I was keen to play Harry Simms, 'The Provost'. Ron took his time but eventually gave his nod," says Irrfan. Besides Hanks and him, the film features Felicity Jones, Omar Sy and Sidse Babett Knudsen.

Quiz him on the novel and he says he's yet to start reading the series. "I will now. And when we begin the prep in April, we'll discuss the look, costumes and character-detail," he says, looking forward to returning to the quaint Italian city of Florence. "The Mayor presented me with the key to Florence when I was there for a festival recently. It was my first visit to Italy. I found the locals to be a lot like us Indians in their interactions with children. May be it's our warm blood," he smiles.

Jurassic World, lining up for a June 12 release, revolves around a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur, created on the request of the Masrani Global Corporation headed by Irrfan's character, Simon Masrani, who's also the park's owner. The creature breaks loose and creates havoc.

Dan Brown's novel revolves around a deadly virus created by a mad genius to solve the world's population problem. Don't these futuristic visions engineered by humans terrify him?

"Life and death is not in our hands. And what we see on screen is what you already know from our readings. What scares me is the possibility that we can be turned into zombies, the idea that corporates can turn science into a moneymaking machine, the prospect that a time will come when our planet will not be able to support any more people and then those who control the world could actually resport to such terrifying options," he shudders.

Prod him on Harry Sims and he refuses to divulge any details about either his character or the project.

But with these big-ticket movies in his repertoire, is his Hollywood career on an all-time high? Irrfan admits that he's been getting a lot of attention in the West.

"But I have to be careful with what I choose. Hollywood doesn't forgive mistakes. I have been getting lead roles like the ones I played in The Namesake and the TV drama In Treatment, but I chose not to repeat myself. I'd rather experiment with strong parallel roles which get me more traction," he reasons.

Was he disappointed that The Lunchbox didn't pick up a BAFTA? "Being nominated was an award in itself," he says. Meanwhile, the Jazbaa shoot has been fantastic. "This is the first time I'm working with Aishwarya (Bachchan) and I love it. She's warm and caring," he smiles. 

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DNA (February 19, 2015)

Ron Howard is in the director’s chair and will produce the film along with Brian Glazer. Inferno, slated for release on October 14, 2016, begins principal photography this April-end.

This film continues the Harvard symbologist’s adventures on screen: When Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks (played by Theory of Everything’s Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories and prevent a madman from releasing a global plague connected to Dante’s Inferno. Closely trailing him will be a shadowy organisation that acts as a no-questions-asked facilitator for all things vile and dark. Irrfan plays Harry Sims aka The Provost, the leader of this organisation. The filmmakers are also in talks with several other internationally recognised actors for major roles.

Said Howard, “Felicity, Irrfan and Omar Sy (of The Intouchables) among others have all broken through with recognition here in America as well as their home countries — they are phenomenal talents and we can’t wait to get started.”