From whatever I understand and know of him, Irrfan sir’s philosophy and nature was to keep things simple and unassuming. He always remained rooted and identified with his roots, no matter where he travelled and what work he did. Whether he was doing an international or an Indian film, commercial mainstream or independent film or any other, he was intensely rooted to the person he was. That is the most special and endearing thing about him that everyone will remember him for.

I was tremendously in awe of him. I got the opportunity to work with him at a time when my career was not flying high and he was an extremely celebrated actor, well known for his craft. For him to put his trust in me as a director and agree to do my film will be the most cherished moments of my life and career. Talvar was a rebirth for me as a filmmaker, and Irrfan sir being in the film was a big part of that. Apart from that, when we collaborated on Talvar, the relationship we shared was precious, it was extremely professional. It was a tricky subject. Not just as an actor, but even while discussing the case, he would throw questions at me, making me constantly question the knowledge I had and not get complacent at any given point – even though the script was locked and we were shooting. The way his mind worked, and therefore forced my mind to work and to question the alternative, was a precious learning experience for me. role & when he performed, you couldn’t say Irrfan sir was acting

I can’t say consciously which part of his personality rubbed off. Unfortunately, our conversations and our equation was limited to working on the film. There was no off-the-set equation with him, not because of anything else, but the sheer regard and awe I felt. I could never think I could have a friendly dinner or a heart-to-heart with him. What has stayed back with me is his questioning mind which I hope I can emulate when the time comes.

I met Irrfan sir on and off on my father’s (Gulzar) set when he was playing a part in an episode of Kirdaar. I met him in Vishal (Bhardwaj) sir’s office intermittently. But the first one-on-one conversation I had with him was when I met him at his home for the first time after we had given him the script of Talvar. We spoke about the case; he asked me for my perspective and I asked him for his. It’s ironic that he went through the film, played the CBI investigator and till date, I don’t know what his stand on the narrative, the case is. I know he was proud of the work we had done and the product we had put out, but what was going on in his mind is still a mystery to me. And there was so much going on inside but it all looked simple when he executed it on screen. That is where the unassuming part comes into play.

There was so much nuance and understudy that went into every role and when he performed, you could not say he was acting. The performance was natural, so much so that it made you believe this is how he laughs, gets angry or cries. That’s the facet of him being unassuming as a person but there was serious hard work that went behind the small gestures, the twitches, the casual one-liners or repartees. It never came off the cuff. It all looked effortless and natural when it came out and one could never call it a performance. But it took a lot of research, deep thinking for him. That is what is special about him.

— As told to Rachana Dubey