Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 23, 2018)

Irrfan Khan who has been away from the city for four months, undergoing treatment for neuroendocrine tumour, recently attended a screening of his upcoming film, Karwaan, in London. The screening was organised by the makers at the screening room in Henry Wood House, a business centre in London, for the actor who was eager to see the final cut.

Dialogue writer Hussain Dalal who was in London for another project wanted to meet Irrfan and was present at the screening. “He seemed happy to see me. His wife (Sutapa Sikdar) and some close friends were also present at the screening. After the film, we spoke about it. He had some minor suggestions for the team but overall, his family and he seemed pretty pleased,” informed Hussain, keen to work with the actor again.

Meanwhile, debutant director Akarsh Khurana informs that after the trailer came out, the actor was happy with the response it was getting, particularly all the love his character Shaukat had received. “He spoke to me at length after the screening in London and I was happy and relieved with his response and that of his family. Hussain who was also present for the screening told me about everyone’s reactions which were, thank God, rather favourable,” exults Akarsh.

He admits that Irrfan’s fans are curious to know how he is doing and if he will be a part of the promotions leading up to the film’s release on August 3. “At this point we don’t want to burden him with all this. His approval and blessings are with us, and that’s all that we need. He sounded good when we spoke and we’re all hoping that he bounces back from this challenging phase soon,” the director adds.

Sharing memories from the shoot, Akarsh smiles, “Honestly with Irrfan sir and Dulquer (Salmaan, Malayalam actor who will be making his Bollywood debut with the film) in the same frame, I often had to remind myself that I was the director and not a fan. The whole shoot felt like a working picnic.”