Five best Irrfan Khan movies: The ‘every man’ actor (Part I)

Irrfan in his first movie, Salaam Bombay! (1988)

What makes to our list of the best five Irrfan Khan movies? Read on.

There will be no actor like Irrfan Khan (1967 – 2020) for a long, long time.

It seems unjust to compare the best actors of the world, each is unique in their own way, each are on their own journey, but Irrfan set an acting standard, universal connect and inclusiveness that few will be able to match for decades.

A legend like no other 
Irrfan is a legend because he literally had to claw his way up, performance after performance, to make himself heard for over three decades, battle stereotypes and beliefs about how box office success, shrewd networking, favourtism, movie ‘camps’ and appearances decide lead roles, until his persistence and sublime talent broke through the movie market wall.

It has taken an untimely death at 53 for Irrfan to receive the widespread respect, awe and prominence that he truly deserves.

Gone too soon, as tragically as Indian screen legend Sridevi, Irrfan has left a tremendous impact in Hindi, Hollywood and other international movies.

His demise in the midst of a marathon coronavirus lockdown in India, has given me ample time to watch my favourite Irrfan movies again, and catch up on what I had missed.

Tom Hanks and Irrfan in Inferno (2016)

The ‘every man’ actor
Just like Tom Hanks, Irrfan had a gift of playing people from every walk of life. I say ‘every man’ instead of ‘everyman’, for the latter stands for typical or ordinary person, and Irrfan has played extraordinary people too.

A wronged prince, impoverished barber, love-struck gangster, immortal messenger, garment shop owner, athlete turned dacoit, goon, crafty police officer, office-going loner, ship wreck survivor, dinosaur park owner… no other actor has had such range, assuring control over the craft and enigmatic acting ability.

Here is a chronological revisit of the best movies of the amazing, friendly neighbourhood Irrfan Khan.

Vishal Bhardwaj’s modern gangster adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth established Irrfan Khan as a prominent name with critics and the audience, adding up on the sparkling reviews Irrfan received for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Haasil (2003) and Asif Kapadia’s The Warrior (2001).

Maqbool is a tense, dark, sublime drama on love, power, wickedness, revenge, human cruelty and loss, a landmark cinema event. Watch out for Irrfan’s guilt-ridden eyes, his wiry reaction to a slap, the frightful start he gives on seeing a corpse open its eyes, acting at its pristine best.

Yet few mainstream Hindi film directors offered him lead roles in subsequent years, despite the obvious superlative talent. That sums up commercial star-bloated, ‘looks are everything’ Bollywood for you.

Nishikanth Kamath’s momentous and well-written multiple-story strands movie on the 2006 Mumbai bomb blasts and in its aftermath has Irrfan as Thomas, a Tamilian street vendor whose life is adversely affected when he is humiliated before his wife and little daughter at a mall. The insult pushes him to causing chaos in the city.Irrfan’s reaction when a rich teenager throws away an expensive cell phone, the power he feels in creating disorder are landmark, unique takes. That he barely has any dialogues makes the performance even more remarkable.

No wonder Irrfan stands out in the ensemble cast featuring impressive acts by Kay Kay Menon, Paresh Rawal, Madhavan and Soha Ali Khan.

Paan Singh Tomar (2012)

 

Behad mein baaghi hote hain, 

daaku miltey hain parliament mein. 

 

(Rebels live in the ravines, 

dacoits are found in parliament.)

 

Tigmanshu Dhulia’s best movie yet, the gripping biographical turn on a national champion athlete turned dacoit, struggled to get an Indian theatrical release for two years since its 2010 London film festival premiere.

When it did release, Irrfan, struggling since 1988 to find recognition for his work was vindicated by Indian audiences. The long wait had finally ended.

It’s a landmark, nuanced performance, the athlete’s body language that never leaves Tomar, the angst and suppression bursting out in armed anger, his gluttonous love for food, the tender moments with his son and wife, outburst at a local journalist…Irrfan is remarkable, unforgettable.

Paan Singh Tomar’s national award winning success gradually helped Irrfan’s ascent to solo lead movies in Hindi, but he still wasn’t getting stories and roles he deserved.

A selected few at Hollywood noticed the uncanny Irrfan connect. Ang Lee picked him for a major role as the adult Pi in the Oscar-winning Life of Pi (2012). Irrfan also bagged a minor role in Marc Webb’s The Amazing Spider-Man (2012).

But the best of Irrfan was yet to come.

Irrfan with Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire (2008)