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.”

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 22, 2014)

It's close to midnight but Irrfan Khan is in another time zone. Speaking to Mirror from New Orleans, the actor who's in the midst of a Jurrasic World shoot, is surrounded by pre-historic dinosaurs and the latest in space technology.

"This is my first visit to a NASA centre and though we cannot wander around the hi-security zones, we're still at close quarters with the rockets that are being readied to zoom into outer space and their size is mind-boggling. The photographs I'd seen don't do justice to them. They're as tall as a 20-feet skyscraper," describes Irrfan, sounding like an excited schoolboy.

The dinos, he promises, too will spring a surprise. Irrfan plays the new owner of the dinosaur park who imagines kids frolicking with the creatures, but not all of them turn out to be friendly. Eventually the character and the franchise explore the ethical issues simmering beneath the intention to entertain.

"Colin Treverrow's script is insightful yet playful. Would you believe, this man had just one movie before this, Safety Not Guaranteed, a time travel drama made on a budget of $70,000. And now he's directing a multi-million dollar film for Steven Spielberg. What a career jump for him!" he exclaims.

Irrfan himself is on a professional high after the worldwide mainstream success of The Lunchbox, followed by Qissa which has released to fantastic reviews in UK and Germany. "The perception of Indian cinema has changed and there is a lot of interest in the European market in both Indian cinema and me," says Irrfan who is looking for collaborators, including specialised writers, after bagging filming rights to some books.

He is partnering with Mira Nair to launch her nephew, Ishaan, as a director. But he will not be acting in the film. "I've turned producer not to be seen on screen but to offer opportunities to new talent and tell stories I believe in. I didn't even know Ishaan was Mira's nephew. He was looking for a like-minded producer who would not interfere with his vision and we liked his concept," he says.

As an actor, the role he's most excited about is poet-lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi. "Ever since I learnt that Ashi Dua was planning a film on Sahir and Amrita Pritam's love story, I wondered why they were not coming to me with it. They did after a month. It's the role I have been waiting for a long time. It is well-reasearched and beautifully written. I can't wait to immerse myself into the character," says Irrfan, admitting that he's heard that talks are on with Priyanka Chopra to play Amrita. "Imroz, a beautiful man and Amrita's non-demanding companion, is another outstanding role waiting to be cast."

Irrfan doesn't know what would have happened had the incomplete love story of the two literary legends come to fruition, but says that Sahir and he are similar in many ways.

"Chalo ek baar phir se ajnabi ban jayein hum dono... What an original thought!" raves Irrfan who while growing up had scant interest in verse and wasn't allowed to listen to music. "But while at the National School of Drama, I developed an interest in both and also acting. But as an actor I didn't follow the rules. I let things happen, following stories and characters which made me feel good about myself. I guess there's a Sahir in me too," he laughs.

Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; March 6, 2014)

In a previous interaction with us, Irrfan had made it clear that he doesn’t take up international films for visibility, no matter how big they are. “I look for significant roles,” he said. The actor and his fans were thus, not too satisfied with the way his role shaped up in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012). The actor has now bagged a crucial role in Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World, slated to release in 2015.

A source revealed, “Irrfan will play a rich NRI in the film, who owns the Jurassic Park. It’s a new character as the film is more of a reboot than a sequel. Irrfan will be seen flying a helicopter in the film, for which he will be undergoing flight training abroad."

When asked, Irrfan confirmed, “Yes, I will be leaving for the shoot of Jurassic World by the end of this month and look forward to working with Colin Trevorrow. He is a new director. I loved his previous film Safety Not Guaranteed. He will bring in a new perspective and thus, a new look to the franchise.”

The actor also dismissed rumours of him doing a cameo in the forthcoming Spider-Man sequel. “That’s not true. I have not been offered any such part, nor was I keen on it,” he concluded.