Irrfan Khan
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A brief biography
Avijit Ghosh, A Quiet Man, An Extraordinary Actor, April 30, 2020: The Times of India
From: Avijit Ghosh, A Quiet Man, An Extraordinary Actor, April 30, 2020: The Times of India
Irrfan was among the most recognised Asian actors in world cinema. He worked in global blockbusters (Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider man, Infer no), Oscar-winning flicks (Slumdog Millionaire), with Oscar-winning directors (Ang Lee) and in festival favourites (Mira Nair’s The Namesake, Asif Kapadia’s The Warrior, Michael Winterbottom’s A Mighty Heart).
Watching Irrfan perform often felt like dipping your hands, eyes closed, into a box of goodies. Serendipity lay ahead. Like a consummate card player, he laid out his hand steadily. He didn’t perform shots or scenes, he unravelled characters. There’s a rounded integrity to the gentle Bengali immigrant Ashoke Ganguly (The Namesake). And he seamlessly brings a raffish sparkle to the uncouth but endearingly funny office employee in Life in a Metro. In Paan Singh Tomar, a biopic on the national steeplechase champion who took to the Chambal ravines, Irrfan presents a multi persona: husband, athlete and dacoit. And in The Lunchbox, he brings a quiet sincerity to Saajan Fernandes, an accountant too hesitant in love and life. Qissa (Punjabi), 7 1/2 Phere, Haider and Talvar are other important roles in a career that stretched over three decades.
As a teenager, Irrfan was more interested in cricket. In a talk show Son of Abish, he once said that he was a good all-rounder. He was selected to play for the CK Nayudu cricket tournament but couldn’t afford the travel cost. A scholarship in National School of Drama reset his career.
Irrfan arrived at the institute with Naseeruddin Shah in his head. Aseem Chhabra’s recent biography quotes fellow actor Mita Vashisht as saying, “It was like, “Arre yaar Irfan, Naseer ko chhodh do…We often saw Naseer in his performances.” At NSD, he also met his future wife Sutapa Sikdar (dialogue writer, Kahaani) and Tigmanshu Dhulia.
Dhulia’s Haasil was his breakthrough movie, his career’s turning point. His menacing but magnetic Ranvijay Singh can easily figure among the top 10 Bollywood villains of all time. The movie plonked but Irrfan soared. “(Director) Vishal Bhardwaj saw Haasil at a trial and decided to cast Irrfan in Maqbool,” Dhulia told this reporter several years ago. Later again, it was Dhulia’s Paan Singh Tomar that fetched Irrfan a national award for best actor.
The actor was on top of his game in 2018 when the tumour struck. His last message to his fans was: “Wait for me.”
Career
Television
April 29, 2020: The Times of India
Besides acting in several popular films, the actor was a part of several television shows including Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta, Shrikant, AnooGoonj, Star Bestsellers and Sparsh.
In the fantasy television series Chandrakanta (1994-96), Irrfan Khan played the role of Badrinath/Somnath (twin brothers).
The actor was reluctant about featuring on TV, but his friend and co-actor in Chandrakanta, Shahbaaz Khan, pushed him to sign the series. He did as his friend said and earned recognition through the characters he portrayed on-screen.
Irrfan Khan not only proved his mettle on Indian television but was also part of In Treatment (an American TV series) where he played the role of Sunil and Tokyo Trial, a Japanese four-part historical drama miniseries, in which he was seen as Radhabinod Pal.
It was in 2018 that Irrfan was diagnosed with a rare type of Neuroendocrine tumour. He underwent chemotherapy and treatment in the US for the same, and recovered from it as well.
The official statement of his passing away read, ""...A man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. It’s saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heavenly abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, “As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.”
