Irrfan Khan: The Best Man!
The only Khan who deserves the Mr. Perfectionist tag on Life of Pi, Paan Singh Tomar, Haasil, superhero suits and why he is actually a funny man.
The only Khan who deserves the Mr. Perfectionist tag lets us peep into his life…
This man needs no introduction. His intense portrayal of imaginary and real-life heroes has led to both critics and audiences acknowledging his stellar acting skills. And why not, Irrfan Khan comes from a theatre background, where there are no retakes. “I was never interested in studies and only did my graduation to make my mother happy. When I joined NSD, I knew I wanted to act,” he reminisces. But he also admits that he didn’t watch many films. “I was only allowed one or two movies a year,” he shares.
From portraying the sportsperson-turned-baaghi, Paan Singh to essaying Rajit Ratha in The Amazing Spider-Man, Irrfan wooed Hollywood and Bollywood once again with his latest movie, Life of Pi. The 3D adventure film by Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee is based on the book of the same name by Yann Martel and features Irrfan Khan as the adult protagonist – Piscine Molitor ‘Pi’ Patel. “The film was quite tough as it’s based on a novel that’s very intelligent. Also, we’ve shot in 3D, which isn’t easy, but in the end it’s a well-made film and I hope you guys like it,” he says smiling.
Life of Pi debuted at the New York Film Festival, the AFI Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India amidst great fanfare and reviews, but before Khan celebrates the success of this film, he’s still getting over the stupendous response he got for Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Paan Singh Tomar. “I give all credit to Tomar himself. With very few facts known about him, it was kind of difficult to portray the character and to top it off, I had to make sure I highlighted it correctly,” he informs. Though the film lost to Barfi! for an Oscar nomination, it was definitely a surprising and much-deserved hit.
“I’m happy that the audience is opening up to such kind of films and glad that Paan… was stalled for 1.5 years and released now. I wish even Haasil had hit theatres now,” he mentions. On cue, we ask him about his journey after Haasil, “It’s been great. I’ve got the opportunity to do some really great and entertaining films. When I choose a film, the length and content are both important.”
Even with a small part in The Amazing Spider-Man, he managed to charm viewers. However, his take on ever wearing a superhero suit depends on if he is offered a good, meaty role. “I would like to don a superhero character, but why would they offer me those roles when they already have such great actors enacting them.” Irrfan grew up not with Spider-Man, but Nagraj, Amar Chitra Katha and Chacha Chaudhary, which kept him hooked.
Before we wrap up, we ask him if he is as serious as his film characters in real life too. “Me serious? Trust me I’m a funny man,” he says with a laugh, insisting that the lemonchoos scenes in Paan Singh Tomar prove his point.
From the December 2012 issue of FHM India.
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