Irrfan in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns (2013) |
The forbidding grind of formula-ridden Indian movies has been the graveyard of many dazzling gifted actors.
Irrfan Khan in the nineties was bidding his time in television, getting bored of playing the same character in endless episodes, doing an occasional movie, but never succumbing to the hundreds of terrorist characters and other typecast roles he was been offered. Irrfan was adamant that he will be a part of exciting, relevant content, roles that he will enjoy doing.
In fact, he was on the verge of quitting acting when Asif Kapadia’s The Warrior (2001) came through.
What kept Irrfan going from 1988 to 2001 and beyond? In a freewheeling conversation conducted a few years ago with another great actor (and his inspiration), Naseeruddin Shah, Irrfan said:
“I was too driven to learn the craft.”   Â
The Lunchbox (2013)
Life is strange…
I think we forget thingsÂ
if we have no one to tell them to…
Main tha, main hoonÂ
aur main hi rahoonga…Â
(I was, I am,Â
and I will be…)
Vishal Bharadwaj’s stark, steely Hamlet adaptation is an exception in the list, the movie barely features Irrfan. So why is it featured here? Screen time does not prevent a great actor from making a searing impact. Irrfan never vies for attention, the honesty and understanding of the role is complete.
Catch the movie to see how the dynamics change when Irrfan appears on the screen as Roohdaar, the Ghost from Hamlet and lights up the screen with his mere presence. The background score emphasizes on why Roohdaar is the key. It is a brief but decisive role. Many actors look vain, conscious and are guilty of posturing in an entry scene, not Irrfan.
Death aur shit …Â
yeh do cheezen kisi ko, kahin bhi,Â
kabhi bhi aa sakti hai
(Death and shit…
these two things can happen
to anyone, anywhere, anytime)Â