MID-DAY (May 26, 2016)

Overwhelmed by legal woes, Kangana Ranaut certainly needs someone to make her laugh. And Irrfan is doing just that. She is well aware that the actor, of late, has been missing no opportunity to take potshots at her. Known for his acerbic wit, Irrfan has been subtly teasing the actress with comments on the pre-requisites of working with her.

At a recent special screening of Marathi film Sairat, Irrfan could not stop himself from delivering another jibe. He said, “Kangana is a legendary actress. It would be less fun to work with her in a film if her role is small.” However, far from being perturbed, Kangs is having a hearty laugh and thinks Irrfan is the most funny guy around. Reacting to his latest statement, the actress says, “Whatever he says, I take as a huge compliment. We have been friends for so long. I won’t misunderstand what he’s saying. I get his humour and I hope other people do too.”

She adds, “Whenever we meet, he tells me: ‘Ek myaan me do talwaar nahin reh sakte (two swords can’t stay in one sheath)’. Imagine that coming from a fine actor like him.”

There was speculation that Kangana would feature in Sai Kabir’s Divine Lovers opposite Irrfan — she had worked with the director in Revolver Rani (2014). However, at an event earlier this month, when Irrfan was asked why the actress bowed out of the project, Irrfan had said, “Kangana has gone beyond reach. I think I will work with her only if I wish to be a heroine. If I get a script in which she plays the hero and I am the heroine, only then will I do it.”

The actor was referring to Kangana’s claim that there are three heroes in her upcoming film, Rangoon — Kangana herself, Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor. With the actress desiring to be the hero of her films and demanding to be paid on par with the guys, Irrfan could only see himself playing the heroine’s part in a film with her.

The actress, though, says she can’t wait to team up with Irrfan. “The film (Divine Lovers) that we were supposed to do together didn’t work out for some other reason. I look forward to work with him. I hope I get an opportunity to do so soon,” she says. Now, let’s see what the actor has to say to Kangs’ sporting spirit.

The actor dabbles in different cinemas, turns producer with a subject he believes in and gears up to rock out with Sushant Singh Rajput next
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 11, 2016)


The floor is stone, a champa tree flowers in the balcony garden, folk art adorns the walls, a jhoola sways enticingly and the soft strains of Rabindra Sangeet spill over from one of the rooms within. Irrfan Khan's new apartment in Andheri can almost make you forget you are in the city, but as he strives to find his own corners, the actor admits his heart is still in his Madh Island home.

So why did he move, you wonder, and he reveals that it's because his two sons, Babil and Ayan, were threatening divorce as their friends couldn't visit. "Travelling too was getting difficult every day. For a year I insisted that anyone who wanted to meet me had to come there, it was a filteration process of sorts," he laughs, admitting that whenever he called Sai Kabir, director of the upcoming Divine Lovers, he'd complain that crossing over on the ferry reminded him of Apocalypse Now.

While on Divine Lovers, apparently Kangana Ranaut has exited and Zareen Khan has entered the picture. He dismisses this as "wrong reporting" but agrees that working with Kangana today is difficult because she's insisting on and getting 'hero' roles, so the other lead is relegated to a supporting part. Buzz is, Ketan Mehta wants to pair them in Begum Akhtar. He retorts, "It'll suit Kangana since it's the title role, I haven't heard from Ketan or heard the role so I can't comment."

Piku definitely wasn't a supporting role yet he got pushed into this category and didn't even win an award. He frowns, "Some people with power and resources manipulate these things. It's part of the game and works for some time, but I haven't built my career on this. It's the audience that eventually makes and breaks you and they know that Piku was not a supporting role."

The smile returns when you bring up Homi Adajania's next in which he plays the rockstar mentor of Sushant Singh Rajput. He informs that the director has been coming to him for years with every script and insisted he do this one, even though it's not a big role. "But it's a larger-than-life, intriguing character born out of a friendly association with Homi and Dino (producer Dinesh Vijan)," Irrfan grins, adding that when he dropped by Homi's office in a cap and a beard, the director told him this was the 'look' he wanted. "For years I've wanted to do a film on music. The Song of Scorpions and this film are just trailers, some day I'm going to play music on screen."

There's been talk about him playing poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gustakhiyan. Irrfan sighs, "I'm dying to play Sahir but I can only wait patiently. I trust Bhansali and whenever he comes to me, I'll be happy to do it. Kya gaane likhe the like "Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawanon Ka", I had no idea till recently he'd written this one too," he says, pointing to a book on Sahir lying on the table. There's also "Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khayal Aata Hai" with which the film will supposedly end with. "Yeh line to mujhe bolna hi hai, if not on screen, I will record it and put it up on YouTube," he promises.

Meanwhile, he has Madaari, produced by him, coming up, about a modern world out of sync. And in the bigger scheme of things, a layman gets left behind. "There's a lot which is wrong with our world despite a responsible government's best efforts, including the judiciary and lack of accountability," the actor sighs, pointing to the high towers outside his window and informing that when he was living in Goregaon, he'd fought for the mangroves and now he's walking in peace marches to educate neighbours on the dangers of radiation. "We're talking to the BMC too about these illegal structures."

Returning to Madaari he says that the encouraging response to Piku which followed no formula or crutches, had no story or conflict, and Talvar which engaged the audience with all its realism, dark humour, information overload and verbosity, has convinced him that the audience is hungry for interesting subjects. "This is the best time for the industry. Today, a director shoots a song on iPhone and it goes viral. If we don't experiment now, when will we? I don't make 'time-pass' films, I was convinced that Madaari could entertain and make an impression, so I jumped on board as producer," he explains, admitting that money matters wife Sutapa will handle while he will put a team and budget together.

Next up is Inferno in the Dan Brown series. He admits that during the first rehearsal, he told the writer that even though he'd read the novel, he wanted a 10-page synopsis explaining the intriguing plot. "Ron (Howard) will simplify the complications," he promises, adding that the director kept thanking him through the shoot for choosing to play Harry Sims 'The Provost' instead of Christoph Bruder, the role offered to him initially. "That was a powerful negative role, this one is shorter but there was more to explore here."

Every month he is reading at least two scripts from the West, has just turned down a small-budget comedy and a film set in the Middle East. Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan are the two names that sell abroad today. "Priyanka has made it big real soon in a tough industry. She knows how to do it and deserves praise. I'm sure Deepika (Padukone) will make it too," he asserts, insisting that after Slumdog Millionaire, the West is looking to India for stories and talent while he is looking to one of our directors going to the US and making a film for an international audience. "Sriram Raghavan, Vishal Bhardwaj, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Shimit Amin, Dibakar Banerjee and Navdeep Singh have great sensibilities. They just need the infrastructure and the right team," he signs off.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 10, 2015)

February 23, 2003... The Warrior was the 'surprise' winner as it beat four other films, including Bend It Like Beckham, to be adjudged Best British Film at the 54th British Film And Television Awards (BAFTA) held at Central London's Leicester Square.

It's director, Asif Kapadia, who bagged the Carl Foreman Award for Special Achievement in First Feature Film category, walked onstage and admitted he had no idea what to say.

Sitting in the audience, his 'Warrior', Irrfan Khan, on his first trip abroad, finally understood why Asif had insisted he watch the film earlier, asserting that he'd be overwhelmed on the big night. "I didn't understand what he meant, till I heard Asif talk about visiting the theatre as a young boy. It was like a dream," Irrfan recalls. Asif's win was all the more poignant because his story of a Rajasthani warrior renouncing violence and retreating to the Himalayas, was rejected as the official British entry for the Oscars. The Academy argued that Hindi was not representative of the languages spoken in the UK.

Twelve years later, another Irrfan Khan starrer, The Lunchbox, has been nominated for the BAFTAS in the category of Best Film Not in the English Language. This victory too came after a snub.

The film was overlooked last year by the selection committee back home as India's official entry for the Oscars in the Foreign Language category. The committee had chosen The Good Road.

Bring up the earlier disappointment and Irrfan, one of the film's producers, says, "This nomination is a reminder to the selection committee. It's a reminder that we don't have to replicate stories. If we can find subjects from our own lives and narrate them in an engaging way, we can connect with the world. The Lunchbox is a path-breaking film, with the business its done across the globe and the critical acclaim it has bagged everywhere. It's created an identity for Indian cinema."

Quiz him on whether the film's director, Ritesh Batra, has approached him for his next and Irrfan says, "He's been working on several subjects, but there's one which is an adaptation of a book, whose first draft was sent to me by him. It had some great possibilities and I'm looking forward to hearing from Ritesh again."

He's also waiting for the final script of the Indo-French co-production, Divine Lovers, co-starring Kangana Ranaut, and for his and Aishwarya Bachchan's managers to sort out their dates for Sanjay Gupta's Jazbaa.

Meanwhile, he's been working on Madari with Nishikant Kamat. "We're waiting for a song from Vishal (Bhardwaj) which will be the film's sutradhar,"he informs. "There's another quirky comedy I'm excited about, being directed by Abhinay Deo."

His Hollywood biggie, Jurrasic World, is gearing up for a June 12 release. He's impressed with director Collin Treverrow but will wait to comment on his role till he sees the film to ascertain what scenes have been retained and their impact. "The new dinosaurs are the real stars," he says.

For now the BAFTAS are on his mind. "The Warrior was the beginning. Now, I'm an internationally established actor going with an Indian film which has done well all over the world," he points out."I expect to be overwhelmed again!"
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Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; January 10, 2015)

Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox has been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category for the upcoming British Academy Film awards. The last Indian nomination at the prestigious event was Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988).

The nominations were announced by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) yesterday. Director Ritesh Batra says, “It is an honour to be nominated alongside the finest films of the year and the credit goes to my entire team. If we don’t tell our own (Indian) stories, no one else will.” The Lunchbox, which released in 2013 in India, was screened in several countries and did a business of US$ 22 million across 48 territories.

Producer Guneet Monga says, “Earning a foreign film nomination at BAFTA is yet another reassurance that great content will always go a long way.”

Mathias Duplessy tells us what inspired him to create the quirky Fanny Re for road film Finding Fanny
Kasmin Fernandes (BOMBAY TIMES; September 26, 2014)

Roshni K Olivera (BOMBAY TIMES; September 20, 2014)

Sonali Joshi Pitale (MID-DAY; September 1, 2014)

Sai Kabir, who started his career with Saeed Mirza 21 years ago, has now managed to get him to write the script for his upcoming film, Divine Lovers, which stars Kangna Ranaut and Irrfan in lead roles. “He is like my guru; whatever I have learnt today is because of him. In fact, I landed in Mumbai only to assist him. So whenever I wish to make an important decision in life, I seek his advice. When I was in talks with producers in France, I was in touch with him and he was very happy to see my work. He is always available to his students,” says Sai.

Saeed Mirza’s last film as a director was Ek Tho Chance that was supposed to release in 2009. “He heard my film’s story and he loved it. I was overwhelmed by his response. He stays in Goa and has already started working on the film’s script. I will be visiting him and we will soon begin work on the film. His wisdom has really helped me and I am fortunate that he has agreed to be part of my film. Moreover, this is his first project in five years.”

When contacted, Saeed Mirza confirmed the story. “This film is like Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel, Love in the Time of Cholera. It is about the impossibility of love and yet somehow there is a love. I liked this concept,” he said.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 5, 2014)

Sai Kabir had pitched the script of his next film, Divine Lovers, to Film France, and now Mirror has it that the French Film Commission (FFC) has greenlighted the project, making the Kangana Ranaut-Irrfan Khan love story a rare Indo-French collaboration. The Chief Operating Officer of the commission, Franck Priot has been mentoring Kabir on his script and has also helped him find a co-producer in Europe.

Speaking from Paris, Kabir informed that Leonard Glowinski, who has co-produced films like the Liam Neeson starrer Unknown and the Oliver Stone directed Alexander, will help put together Divine Lovers and also ensure a mainstream release for the film in France.

Elaborating on the same, he said: "The post-production will be done entirely in France, including the background score, sound design and editing. However, the film won't be shot in France. The story is set in Mumbai, Bhopal and Aligarh. It will be my ode to Satyajit Ray's Mahanagar."

Divine Lovers is a love story set against the backdrop of the India Shining myth and how it offers a false sense of hope. Both Kangana and Irrfan will be seen in completely de-glamorised avatars.

"The FFC got excited because the story is rooted in India and deals with poverty and corruption, and has a melancholic love story at its heart. The intention is to tell Indian stories on a global platform," says Kabir, adding that they are targeting a festival release in early 2016.

He says he approached the FFC because Indian studios lack vision. "With an international production house, there is greater creative independence as the focus is more on stories and not the box-office collections," he asserts.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 15, 2014)

Hours before he flew out to Hawaii to film Jurassic World in which he plays a business tycoon and owner of the dino park, an excited Irrfan Khan had told Mirror that he was looking forward to interacting with the pre-historic creatures.

"There's a huge, insatiable curiosity about dinosaurs in the US. There is an attempt to provide constant fodder for the imagination and bringing that reality on to the screen," he had pointed out.

Back from the shoot, the actor refuses to reveal details about the dinos but is obviously impressed with the park that has been created on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. "It's a huge set and a big unit. The first day that I reported for the shoot, the whole street was filled with trucks. They had blocked a part of the island, mostly jungles and mountains," he informs, adding that certain portions were also shot in Maui island.

He's all praise for director and cowriter Collin Trevorrow. "Even though he has just one film behind him, Safety Not Guranteed, he was very chilled out and in control," he says, excited to have worked with director Ron Howards's daughter Bryce Dallas Howard known for her performances in films like The Help, As You Like It, Spider-Man 3 and Twilight Salvation. "She's very good. When I go back in July I am looking forward to working with other actors like Chris Pratt," he says.

While working in a big Hollywood franchise gives a high, Irrfan is equally excited about Revolver Rani director, Sai Kabir's next film, Divine Lovers.  "It's a fantastic love story co-starring Kangana (Ranaut)," says the actor who's been getting rave reviews the world over for his performance as a mature lover in The Lunchbox.

"I became an actor to explore love and the love in my heart won't die till I die. It has taken me a long time to make my presence felt as a romantic lead. I'm glad for the opportunity even if it's come late in life. I cannot be a lover boy now but I can be a lover," says the actor.

And so the journey towards romance continues from Paan Singh Tomar which he describes as a "sad love letter to the country from Tigmashu Dhulia" to Shoojit Sircar's Piku which he terms a "quirky love story"with "diva" Deepika Padukone.

But what he's really looking forward to is doing a love story with Vishal Bhardwaj. "He wins my heart by the way he writes. From what I have seen of Haider, it's one of Vishal's best films and Shahid's (Kapoor) best performance. Shraddha (Kapoor) is like a flower and Tabu, who has been a part of so many turning points in my life--from Maqbool to The Namesake to the Padma Shri which we were both honoured with in the same year--has grown more beautiful and grown as an actress over the years," he asserts.

His rhapsodies pause abruptly when you quiz him about his role in the desi Hamlet. Saying that it's hard to define, he recalls his first visit to Kashmir for Vishal's Saat Khoon Maaf and then his return for Haider.

"It's one of the most beautiful places on earth and also one of the worst given the horrible living conditions," he sighs. "My character is a reflection of these these socio-political aspects. I'm the conscience of the place, the soul and spirit of the movie." There's a poet in Irrfan too!