Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; August 14, 2020)

Born and raised in Mumbai (contrary to popular perception, he isn’t from Nagpur), Vikrant Massey was noticed in the popular TV show, Balika Vadhu. He made a foray into cinema with Lootera (2013) and though he’s had his share of struggles, he has made his presence felt in noted films like Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), A Death In The Gunj (2016), Lipstick Under My Burkha (2016) and Chhapaak (2020). In a conversation with BT, he spoke about the insider-outsider debate, nepotism, stereotypes and film elitism — why it is difficult for TV actors to get a breakthrough in films.

Vikrant said, “Sabke struggles alag hote hain, but we grow up in a culture where films are perceived as idealistic. We idolise filmmakers and what’s it like to be a film star. All those notions are destroyed when you try become a movie actor.”

‘TV ACTORS KO FILMON MEIN BADE PARTS NAHI MILTE’
Despite being a Mumbaikar, when Vikrant switched from TV to films, he had to swallow unsavoury comments. He revealed, “TV actors ko filmon mein bade parts nahi milte. Do-teen scenes ke role milte hai, yeh perception ban gaya hai and it’s true to an extent. People think since you’re a household name, you lack fresh appeal. Why does it take someone’s (Sushant Singh Rajput) death for us to be kinder?”

“I was told to my face I am not quintessential hero material. I am not the good-looking guy with biceps. Yeh sab sunke aapki himmat toot jaati hai. These comments weren’t positive and I took it personally. I was angry, but I used that anger to prove these people wrong. As an actor, I had over 10 years of experience in TV, but that wasn’t counted. You have to start from scratch and you have to adapt as these two are different mediums with different priorities,” said Vikrant.

‘STAR KIDS HAVE ACCESS TO INFORMATION THAT WE DON’T’
The actor believes that merit is given credibility today, but those who belong to film families are bound to have an edge. He elaborated, “Unless you are a good actor, you won’t survive. As far as the disparity is concerned, it is tougher for outsiders. Star kids have access to information that we don’t. Unko dhoop mein bithaake nahi rakhte, unko auditions nahi dene padte. Also, the respect you get on set is directly proportional to the length of your role and how important you are to them. I was lucky to get a Lootera. To be able to work with Ranveer Singh, Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane was a big deal. However, I wasn’t given the script of Lootera beforehand, because I was playing the supporting part. When asked, I was told, ‘We can’t give it to you now’. Ranveer got the script in advance and this is common for most films. Bade studios aapko script nahi denge, unless you play the hero. Heroes are treated differently. Things have changed for me now since I am considered as a breakout star. I get scripts today, but hierarchical system hai. If a person plays a servant in a film, he is actually treated like one on set, unless he is an NSD alumnus or leaves in a BMW. Then even the ADs treat you differently.”

Vikrant also blames the audience, media and actors for not breaking the chain. “Log utne hi important hai, jitna unko importance diya jata hai. Are the big production houses the only ones making films? Why is their validation so important to you? A leading production house had refused to cast me as the lead, because I played a smaller role in Lootera. They politely declined and said they admired my work nonetheless. I was told, ‘Hum aapko chhote roles hi de sakte hai.’ People are not obliged to give you the part you want. Life for everyone across the world is unfair. You need to grow a thick skin. The nepotism debate is being blown out of proportion. It exists, but it is not impenetrable.”

‘I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH ON THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING THE RIGHT PEOPLE AROUND’
For aspiring actors, clarity of thought is important. Vikrant said, “When I saw Irrfan’s performance in Maqbool (2004), I decided that’s the kind of work I want to do. I have grown up admiring actors like Balraj Sahni, Naseeruddin Shah, and now, Rajkummar Rao. Some actors want to be like Hrithik Roshan, while some aspire to be like Irrfan sahab. You need to know what you want. Having family and friends around, who you can rely on, helps a great deal. They make sure you don’t get carried away. I cannot stress enough on the importance of having the right people around.”

‘IT’S GOOD THAT WE ARE NOW FIGHTING FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES’
“If nepotism exists, free and fair opportunities also exist. You have to be consistent and march on thinking accha kaam karna hai. After 16 years in this profession, I am still three-four years away from being in a position to decide the kind of work I want to do. There is no such thing as overnight success. You are in it for the long haul. It’s good that we are now fighting for equal opportunities and transparency, because genuine talent deserves those chances,” the actor concluded.

For all the worthy local tributes pouring in for an untimely demise, the fact is, if it wasn't for the West, the Hindi film industry wouldn't have known where to place Irrfan Khan
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; April 30, 2020)

While Mira Nair's The Namesake (2007) introduced Irrfan to the art-house West, there was a 2012 profile of his in The New York Times (by Kathryn Shattuck) that, he reckoned, alerted many in the Hollywood establishment to the person behind the roles he'd done thus far.

This is a couple of years after the last season of HBO series In Treatment that I recall Irrfan calling up from the US to say he was particularly proud of. And a few months before the release of Andrew Webb's franchise reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man, where he played the antagonist.

Titled 'Bollywood Hero, American Everyman', the NYT piece went on to ask, "Could Mr Khan become the first Indian to capture the lead in a mainstream American movie?" It began with Irrfan himself declaiming, "Hollywood isn't ready for an Indian leading man." And Ang Lee later agreeing, while arguing, "But maybe he can do it for us [Asians]. He's definitely rare and very special." Irrfan was dubbing for Lee's Life Of Pi (2012) at the time.

The fact is, up until Irrfan had spent over a decade and half in Bombay, after graduating from National School of Drama (NSD), doing grunt-work on television, with shows after shows — some of them hugely popular, like Chandrakanta, Star Bestsellers, Banegi Apni Baat (that he also directed episodes of) — starting from late '80s, all through the '90s, let alone Hollywood, even Indian cinema wasn't ready for him as an Indian leading man!

That real deal happened only with the British filmmaker Asif Kapadia casting Irrfan in and as The Warrior (2001), in a slow, quiet, Himalayan Western, if you may, with his haunting eyes adding to the striking visuals. Thereon, young Kapadia scripted an Oscar-winning career as one of the world's top documentary whizzes (Senna, Amy, Diego Maradona).

Irrfan finally captured desi imagination with his inimitably insouciant, proper desi-cool turn as the rustic college goon in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Haasil (2003). A lot of local filmmakers, he said, could place him as the new villain in town. He refused a few such roles, only to mesmerise audiences even more as the obsessed lover in Vishal Bhardwaj's magical Maqbool (2004) — unreservedly a masterpiece that Bhardwaj found hard to match, forget with Irrfan (though Haider and 7 Khoon Maaf with the actor were decent attempts).

Thus, a star was proverbially born. Although he'd been around in Bombay all along. This is no time for rona-dhona on ways the film industry functions, while it was always a pleasure to chat about all of this on occasion with Irrfan. He never held back on what he felt or thought, about people and pictures.

Will never forget this one time he told me on a TV interview how embarrassed he felt watching Anil Kapoor jump around him and others at the Academy Awards stage for his role in Slumdog Millionaire (2009), while he hadn't even heard of Danny Boyle before signing up for the film! Or in another interview where he complained about why Shah Rukh Khan had to play out two schizophrenically different films (one with himself all over it) in Billu (2009), with no one ending up liking either, as a result.

That's how Irrfan was, even in public — candid, but meaning no malice, of course. Despite much that he'd been through. To be fair, just casually scan the timeline for when he moved to Bombay. This was the fallow phase when 'parallel cinema' that had inspired him to become a film actor in the first place, had altogether been phased out.

Many of the filmmakers had moved to television.

Irrfan got to do the historical docu-drama Bharat Ek Khoj (1988) with Shyam Benegal. He found a chance to work with Govind Nihalani in Drishti (1990) or Basu Chatterjee in Kamla Ki Maut (1989), in the evening of their careers.

The mainstream space almost wholly consisted of action stars, and thereafter, what he called "chocolate boys". Irrfan was neither. The key issue with him as a young aspirant, he said, was to imagine who he could be like. Until Naseeruddin Shah, from the generation before him, he confessed, metaphorically showed him the way — first from Jaipur where he grew up, to NSD, in Delhi.

An abiding memory of Naseer on screen, Irrfan recalled in a TV interview, was from Umrao Jaan (1981), where he's flirting with Rekha's character, who is visibly annoyed and asks what he's up to. He casually mentions, "Waqt hai toh kuch toh karein, saath (Since there's time let's do something together)."

The first time I saw Irrfan on the big screen was in an NFDC production, Fareeda Mehta's Kali Salwaar (2002), where he plays writer Saadat Hasan Manto, staring at the heroine in the balcony, from across the street. What are you up to, he asks her. "Jhak maar rahi hoon," she says. "Chalo saath mein jhak maarte hain," he retorts indifferently. Few have seen that film. Don't remember much of it either — impossible for me to erase that casually killer moment from memory.

For all the years he was altogether bored of bulk-acting on TV in Bombay, what Irrfan found hardest to do was keep that inspiration alive — even while he found none of it in his work. He found most of it in watching films, right from the time he bought a video player with his first salary in the city.

No actor I know from his generation was as well-versed with world cinema as Irrfan. One of his dreams was to be in the same frame as the French hero Gerard Depardieu. Can't thank him enough for introducing me to the Turkish-German star-director Fatih Akin, much before Akin became a thing. Or filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, who Irrfan, of course, worked with in A Mighty Heart (2007). It is said Wes Anderson specifically pencilled in a part for him in The Darjeeling Limited (2007). He was always ready with a recco.

Perhaps exposure of this sort could also frustrate an actor, in contrast to the work that surrounds him. Irrfan spoke quite often about having decided to quit acting altogether in his early years, since television was all he was doing, and the sort of movies he wished for weren't going to materialise anyway. This is the phase, he said, he actively worked on his craft, since he had nothing to lose. And much less to hope for. To keep himself busy, he said, he toyed with ways to gently seduce the camera, besides attempting to "live in the moment".

This became perhaps what critics/reviewers over-used as "nuance" to explain many of his performances that highlighted most of all, minimal face-acting — least amount of gestures that also kept space for dramatic revelations, when you least expected them. He was the finest film practitioner of 'less is more' — hitting its highest note perhaps with Dhulia's Paan Singh Tomar (2011) that, despite a fair festival run, remained in the can for the longest, before finding theatrical release to top Bollywood awards that year.

More specifically, he could hold a moment. Also there was something infectious about his performances, if you notice, say Deepika Padukone matching her smiles and telling eye-contacts with his, in Shoojit Sircar's Piku (2015). Same between Konkona Sen Sharma and him in Anurag Basu's Life In A Metro (2007). Or most recently, actor Deepak Dobriyal playing off Irrfan's thoroughly restrained yet feisty/OTT comic timing in Angrezi Medium (2020), his last release.

That's what earned him most respect from peers and public alike. I was at a breakfast interview with Naseeruddin Shah in Lucknow (while he was shooting for Dedh Ishqiya) when Irrfan joined in (he was there filming Dhulia's Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns). Throughout Naseer, who's generally frugal with praise and an idol of sorts to Irrfan, called him "Khan Saab" — referring perhaps also to his aristocratic lineage, although he's had a fairly modest upbringing.

There was still something naturally royal about Irrfan's presence, both off but more so on screen. This was a handicap, at least according to one filmmaker critic of his I know. He was incapable of coming across as "low-status", even in roles that demanded so. This is where Nawazuddin Siddiqui held an advantage, apparently. There was minor tattle going on about a rivalry of sorts between Nawaz, 45, and Irrfan, 53. Much of it had to do with the phenomenal success of Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox (2013), arguably the greatest Indian success abroad, that both starred in.

The fact is Nawaz could never do what Irrfan could, and vice versa. As is true for all unique talents. That royal demeanour no doubt would've helped Irrfan bag the role of Mesrani (probably named after Ambani), the Indian-origin richest man, who's the main villain in the gigantic Jurassic Park franchise film, Jurassic World (2015).

His last major outing in Hollywood was with Tom Hanks in Inferno (2016). Just look at that line-up abroad, even while he'd confound producers back home picking up a hardcore art-house film like Qissa (2013), although scoring huge in the box-office with the comedy, Hindi Medium (2017).

The common adage '50 is the new 40' (in line with people in other decades) couldn't have been more aptly applied than with Irrfan. He was at the cusp of something bigger, having kick-started his career with definitive, defining roles, only in his mid 30s!

At 20, he told me, he had trained all the actors of Mira Nair's Oscar-nominated Salaam Bombay (1988), but failed to star as one of the boys in it, because he was too tall to fit into the frame with them. He lived and learnt most about life from those street kids.

The Irrfan I knew came across as a deeply sensitive man. The ongoing wave of Islamophobia bothered him no end. He also had a dislike for traditional stars and the ways of Bollywood that hinged on them — mildly upset by stuff like, how much he was paid by a friend for a role, and how much was offered to his co-star, for the same picture.

But he also had a playful, roving-eye, happy-high side, behind that gambheer/serious exterior. He was surrounded by friends and well-wishers, I noticed, when graciously invited by his wife Sutapa (they met at NSD), to participate in his episode of the biographical show, Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (2012).

Some of this part of his personality you find organically channelled into madcap entertainers like Dil Kabaddi (2008) or Karwaan (2017). Or you could just watch him happily descend into YouTube level sketch-comedy with an AIB video gone viral!

Before he left for NSD, Irrfan's father had passed away. His mother Saaeda Begum was worried that he was going to become a "naach-ganewallah". Whatever that means, he promised her, "Aapko sharminda nahin hone doonga (I won't let you down)." He didn't. Saeeda passed away three days before him.


Irrfan in a still from Inferno

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; March 9, 2020)

In 2003’s Maqbool, he played Irrfan’s henchman. In 2017, he played his neighbour in Hindi Medium, and in 2020, he will be seen as his brother in Angrezi Medium. In between these, with films like Omkara (2006), 1971 (2007) and the Tanu Weds Manu series (2011 and 2015), he gained credibility as an artiste who can pull off any character with ease. Over to Deepak Dobriyal who talks about his journey so far, why he has never asked for a role and why he loves working with Irrfan. Excerpts:

Angrezi Medium brings you back with Irrfan, and this time, you both play brothers. Post Hindi Medium, you were seen in films which were relatively smaller and niche. This film must be really important for you?
It is very important for me because yes, the films that I did after Hindi Medium had a relatively niche and smaller audience, which would draw footfalls only on the basis of word of mouth. I had not done a commercial mainstream film since then. Being a part of commercial set-ups is just as important for any actor. My role in Angrezi Medium is not just long in terms of screen time, but also crucial to the story. I was getting a chance to work with Irrfan bhai all over again. In the last decade, we could have worked on so many films together, but things didn’t work out. Hindi Medium ke baad, dobara unke saath kaam karne ka chance meri sabse badi lalach thi. Our tuning had worked out so well in Hindi Medium; I was getting a chance to enhance it further. We had a great time off camera, which is evident in the way we have enacted our scenes together. Our chemistry as brothers seems natural. Also, films like Angrezi Medium are important because while you work to enhance your career graph and impress your existing audience, you also have to find inroads into the hearts of the younger generation. I’ve done so many characters, but youngsters don’t remember what I did before Tanu Weds Manu Returns. You have to make yourself accessible to the young generation of audience with the kind of work that they can appreciate. If you think that unko cute ke chakkar mein kuch bhi thama denge toh chalega, you’re wrong. They’re intelligent and discerning.

How do you think your equation with Irrfan has evolved over the years?
I was his henchman in Maqbool (2004), which was a small role. Irrfan bhai cared for me even back then. I remember, there was a patch when I fell ill. I reported to work despite having a fever and he figured that. He got me a three-day break and kept a tab on my health. A gesture like that can never be forgotten. I had promised myself that I will always be there for him, come what may. After that, we stayed in touch and met a few times as well. He loved my work and I loved all his films. I wanted to work with him again and when Hindi Medium came by, I grabbed it. It gave Irrfan bhai and me the chance to catch up on lost time and conversations. At that time, we used to shoot all day, go swimming at night and have meals together. On the shoot, he stopped people from interfering with the way I was trying to improvise my scenes. He supported me like a brother and he subtly showed that he trusts me. That helps enhance a scene so much more. Bhai khiladi aadmi hain. He can handle anything in a scene and make it look great. Iss baar, Angrezi Medium shoot karte waqt hum Thames ke kinaare baithte the London mein. We used to watch cricket together. All of us on the set made sure that we keep the atmosphere light and fun. When he would come on the set, we would first make him laugh and feel at ease, and then start work. Irrfan bhai’s enthusiasm kept the spirit of the team really high.

It’s taken the Hindi film industry a lot of time to start valuing actors who support a film. Was it difficult to hold your own and find your space in the industry in all these years?
I can’t believe it’s been that long! In these years, I never went around asking for work. I continue to audition for roles. The reason I never asked for work is that I always thought, ‘What if there is someone who can do the part better?’ By asking for that role, I am being unfair to that actor. And after asking for it, if I don’t do it well, it would be grave injustice to the role and to the person jiska mauka meri wajah se kho gaya. That’s the reason I don’t even approach my writer friends because I don’t want them to work with a bias. I’ve always worked with the mindset that if I deserve something, it will come to me on merit. That has earned me respect. Mohtaaji ka to angle hi nahi rakha maine. That’s why it took me a long time to get this far. I’ve always worked with the intention of being able to do something different and doing it really well. I don’t just want to be seen in a film. When you work with that in mind, it shows. In my downtime, I introspect and go back to Omkara. I always try to remind myself what it was about that role that worked for me. Also, I’ve learnt that to be able to play different roles and break out of your comfort zone, you have to keep learning new things. A footballer and a chess player have their energies in different places. You have to know kiski energy ko kahan channelise karna hai. Acting is like yog sadhana, you have to surrender to it, for it to work for you.

Recently, BT did a story in which actors, directors and writers underlined the importance of supporting actors in films today. Do you think it’s taken very long for the industry to value this talent pool?
Everyone is an actor in front of the camera, koi category nahi hoti hai. Accha idea, aur acchi performance koi bhi kar sakta hai. Character actors are called so because their dedication to a role is way higher. The first condition for anyone to be an actor is that they have to become a character. I find the term supporting actor or character actor derogatory. Sapne har actor ke bade hi hote hain, par haqeeqat har kisiki alag hoti hai.

You could be a great actor, but you probably don’t fit into every mould. No one invests money in an actor who will not be able to draw an audience to the theatre on his own, right? I didn’t have that guarantee in those early days, but I had the promise of a good performance. Even when I had a small role, I did it like it was the central character. It takes years to find your ground in this business. Once you find it, you will fly.

Radhika Madan on working with the actor in Homi Adajania’s next and how she discovered veganism while prepping for her part
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 6, 2020)

After making her Bollywood debut with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Pataakha in 2018, Radhika Madan was seen in Vasan Bala’s action-comedy Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota. Now, she is gearing up for her third outing, Angrezi Medium, with Irrfan Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia.

In the film, Radhika plays a teenager who aspires to go abroad for higher studies. “Both Tarika and I are big-time dreamers. I wanted to go to Broadway to learn dance but acting happened and the plan took a back seat,” she informs, quick to point out that the common ground between them ends there.

The actress goes on to share that she discovered veganism while trying to get into the skin of her character. “Food is an important tool for our mindset. We hear it all the time but for the first time, I experienced that unadulterated food leads to an unadulterated mindset. I am a vegan now. The entire prep was an adventurous journey,” she says.

Working with Irrfan, who plays her father in the Homi Adajania directorial, was another high point for Radhika. “His performances in Maqbool and Paan Singh Tomar are my favourites. We met a couple of times for readings before shooting began. The first thing I said to him was, ‘Hello pappa’. He is extremely sweet, warm and endearing,” smiles Radhika.

The 24-year-old actress goes on to inform that the film’s schedule was planned keeping Irrfan’s health in mind. “He and Homi had been co-ordinating before work on the film started. On the set, Irrfan sir gave his 200 per cent. There was an amazing energy around because of him,” she reminisces, equally kicked about being on the cover of Bhardwaj’s book on her debut film, which was directed by the filmmaker-author and co-starred Sanya Malhotra. “It was humbling to see my face on the book. It details the entire process of making the film,” she informs.

While she would like to collaborate with VB again, Radhika reveals that she is constantly in touch with him. “I love him, and he loves me. I make it a point to meet him and Vasan (Bala, Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota director) sir every time I am starting work on a new project. Their blessings are important to me; both are my mentors.”

Irrfan Khan reveals that his illness has brought the family even closer, explains how his upcoming release is different from Hindi Medium and flashbacks to unforgettable moments from his films
Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 3, 2020)

In all these years, one never connected with Irrfan Khan with questions in mind. The conversations would be freewheeling; about life, living, learning, evolving, and along the way, we spoke about films, too.

But after an illness took him out of the country for treatment, one had to think of questions to touch base with him, and it felt like a challenge. So, I did the next best thing, I wrote him a letter, weaving some queries in and he responded to them, agreeing that interviews are about conversations. But, conveying a smile through an emoji, observed that “from where I stand every challenge challenges our creativity”.

After a year-and-a-half, he has a film, Angrezi Medium, coming up for release, produced by his Hindi Medium filmmaker, Dinesh Vijan. And while he hopes that everyone enjoys it, Irrfan is anticipating some “healthy criticism” as well. The film revolves around a father-daughter relationship, with the latter aspiring to go abroad for higher studies. Does Irrfan think it is important to give our children an education abroad, with reference to the film and his own sons, Babil and Ayan, in particular? One could picture him sitting across, frowning in concentration, as he mused, “Is it important? No. Is it crucial? No. It’s a very subjective thing… It depends on where your child’s passion lies. But it’s not imperative, for sure.”

He shared that his older son wanted to major in films and had got into the London (Film) School without his help. “Since it is Asif Kapadia’s (his The Warrior director) alma mater, I thought it will do Babil good. But if one is going (to study abroad) just because it’s cool, I think it’s a waste of time,” Irrfan pointed out with the practicality one has come to associate with him, saying his son will definitely like to come back. “He misses India very much. He is slogging hard and he is not a celebrity child in the institute abroad, which works for me,” he added.

It’s been over two years since we met, the last interaction being just before Hindi Medium and I wondered if he remembered ‘Roshomilla’, which is how he has always addressed me. “I cannot forget Roshomilla, but chances are I will call you rosogolla by mistake again because that’s what my Bengali wife (Sutapa Sikdar) is feeding me. Since I am unwell, whenever I have a sweet craving, she insists it’s healthy since rosogollas are made of chhena (ricotta cheese) and not mawa (dry milk),” he wrote back, and I could hear him guffaw across the miles separating us from him.

On the subject of Hindi Medium, he stated that the film had been accepted well as it struck a chord with the audience, more so with parents, some of whose dreams had died because they could not put their kids into their dream schools. “Our country does not pay for our education, it’s not free, so education from a good school is like a medal for most middle-class Indians and the admission process is traumatic,” Irrfan pointed out.

In the film, his Raj Batra, a nouveauriche boutique owner desperate to get his six-year-old daughter Pia into the school of his wife’s choice, takes the extreme step of moving with his family to a poorer neighbourhood to avail of the Right to Education (RTE) quota for the underprivileged. In response to my query of how much like Batra he is, Irrfan shared that for him personally, it doesn’t matter if someone is from Welhams or Stephens. “I sent my kids to an alternative school with hardly any facilities in the formative years. I have met hundreds of successful children from government schools, and very mediocre, highly nonstimulated children from private schools. So, essentially, it’s about the individual, the child. If someone has to bloom, they will,”

Irrfan asserted, going on to emphasise that as a person he would never do what Raj did in Hindi Medium. “But then, I am not him and he is not me. That’s the fun in acting! How to find the essence even if you are not the same. I am not as street-smart as the character, but I know people like him exist, so, I could relate to him.”

He went on to explain the process of getting into character, saying it’s enjoyable to be somebody who shares some of your thoughts and vice versa. “The character evolves from its relatability to the actor. Then, boom, it’s there, for the actor to follow,” he stated, adding that he is also not an extrovert, like Angrezi Medium’s Champak Bansal. “But I am a father and with that small essence, I went ahead. The character happened and was played by Irrfan.”

There are other ways in which the two films are different even though both take the discussion on education forward in a light-hearted way. “I had a wife (Saba Qamar) in Hindi Medium, so we were parents to our daughter Pia (Dishita Sehgal) while in Angrezi Medium I am a single parent, so it’s a bigger responsibility. And it’s special because one doesn’t want to f*** up in bringing up their child… You’re always scared of being judged by the departed partner. The child is not only your child, but also the memory of your wife. You want the best for your child, but at the same time, you don’t want to let her go away as she is your only surviving bond,” he reasoned, adding that the kids, Pia (Hindi Medium) and Tarika (Radhika Madan) are also in different age groups so pose a different set of problems. “Actually, in Hindi Medium the problem is more related to parents while in Angrezi Medium, the concern for the child is the bigger crisis. The most interesting part was that my character, Champak, wants to play the mother of the child in a patriarchal society. This has its own unique problems.”

It’s been almost two years since Irrfan left for treatment for neuroendocrine tumour. I wondered how he looked at life today and the people he was with, in particular his wife Sutapa and their sons. “It’s been a roller-coaster ride, a memorable one. Happy moments were underlined because of the inherent uncertainty. We cried a little and laughed a lot. We became one huge body,” he shared.

He went on to write that he has become less judgemental as a person because things have stopped mattering so much. “You screen out noises …You are selective about what you want to filter in. I have gone through tremendous anxiety but have somehow managed to control it, then, let go. You are playing hopscotch all the time,” Irrfan confided. However, the extraordinary situation, he admitted, has made his boys extraordinary in their own way. “And the best part is that I’ve had all the time literally to see them evolve… A crucial time for a teenager, like the younger one. The older one isn’t a teenager anymore.” One could see him smiling, the smile of a father, as he relayed this.

And his wife? “What to say about Sutapa? She is there 24/7. She has evolved in care-giving and if I get to live, I want to live for her. She is the reason for me to keep at it still,” he stated emotionally.

One had missed these introspective conversations with him and promises that the next time he is in Mumbai, one would drop by with the fish curry he had craved for once. “I wish we would one day have the fish curry and you would say ‘Bon Appetit.’ Amen to that.” Irrfan signed off.


Irrfan Khan with younger son Ayan; with wife Sutapa and elder son Babil (right)
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Irrfan describes his Angrezi Medium family

Radhika Madan (His daughter Tarika Bansal): A hard worker

Kareena Kapoor (Naina, an undercover cop in London): DIVA! I wish she does more roles to exploit her potential

Dimple Kapadia (Kareena’s mother): Nostalgia, warmth...

Deepak Dobriyal (His brother Ghasiteram Bansal): Jugalbandi


Director Homi Adajania: Outrageous fun!

Producer Dinesh Vijan: A rare learner

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MOMENTS & MEMORIES WITH IRRFAN

Without creation of a moment there is no story. Yet with so many stories, so many films, it’s very difficult to pinpoint a single one. But it’s the creation of these moments which drew me to acting...


THE WARRIOR (2001): There was this moment in the film where I was holding a sword, ready to kill a girl, when I look at her locket and a time-machine starts working for me… Something happens… I am in the desert, I have the sword in my hand, I drop it and in the blazing sunlight it has specks of snow… That for me was a great moment.


MAQBOOL (2003): The scene in the hospital where my character Maqbool watches Nimmi (Tabu) from outside. Since my face is against the glass, my sweat drips from it and it looks like the glass is crying. I will never forget the cue Vishal saab (director Vishal Bharadwaj) gave me for the scene, “Irrfan saab, iss shot mein daaku se Balmiki bante dekhna hai.”


THE NAMESAKE (2007): My character Ashoke Ganguli goes with his family to a beach. I walk with his son Gogol, down a thin strip of land, at the end of which there is only the ocean. And as we stand there, I realise that we have forgotten to bring the camera and tell my son, “Remember that we went to a place where there was nowhere left to go…” That was something special for me… I enjoy when a sentence is not contextual to that situation only.


PAAN SINGH TOMAR (2010): That moment when my character, Paan Singh, says, “Ee ka jawab kaun dego?” In the context of what had made him a dacoit—the situation which led him to be what he had become—it was not just a question but a passage of time. A summation of brutality, casteism etc… That was one moment I will always remember.

QISSA (2013): The scene where my character, a Sikh Punjabi named Umber Singh, is leaving his home during the Partition, with his wife and his three daughters. They break everything, poison the well, then, lock up the house and leave. That was writing excellence from (writer-director) Anup Singh.