“Desh ke liye daude toh kisi ne na poochha, ab baaghi ban gaye toh sab yahi naam jap rahe – Paan Singh... Paan Singh...” The lines reverberated in the dark auditorium as International Film Festival of India (IFFI) paid homage to actor Irrfan Khan with a screening of his classic Paan Singh Tomar on Friday. The show was attended by his wife, writer Sutapa Sikdar, and elder son Babil.

Babil spoke to about how tough the last year had been for the family. “But losing someone is a part of evolution, it’s not something to get scared of or something you don’t want to go through. It’s a very beautiful part of a process of growing up and evolving. Pain is essential and important and we are going through it head on.”

Babil remembers his father as a beacon of encouragement. “He used to love it when I would send him suggestions. He always encouraged me. He toh was like a teenager and child. We used to play football and he used to tell me that I’m cheating. He was the wisest amongst us but he was also like a baby.”

Remembering their time at their Madh Island home in Mumbai, Babil said, “He loved all animals but would get annoyed by crows. So we would build these traps so he could catch the crow without hurting them and he would talk to the crow and ask them, ‘Why did you disturb me when I was sleeping?’”