Irrfan: Even three years after Irrfan left us, the name conjures up the image of an actor who was intense yet easy going and non-glamorous. Fans loved Irrfan, a brilliant actor the likes of whom are hard to come by in tinsel town.
He was a man of values and led by example. For instance, he is known to have rejected major Hollywood projects only because he consented to work in a Hindi film. He frowned upon the idea of actors being accorded the status of heroes. For his diehard fans, he may have left too early but he continues to live through his body of work, his ideologies and the way he led his life.
A special soul for family
For his family too, Irrfan was a special soul. He didn’t celebrate their birthdays nor expected them to remember his. In short, he was a class apart from his fellow-actors. Irrfan died of neuroendocrine tumour in 2020.
One of the few actors to have done the most number of quality roles in Hollywood films, Irrfan never flaunted his achievements nor did he give less credence to his Hindi ventures. He sacrificed a major role in Ridley Scott’s The Martian because he had given a commitment to work in one of his iconic films Piku. He also said no to Intersteller for he had committed to ‘Lunchbox’ and ‘D-Day’ and recalled it as one of the most difficult decisions of his life. “I had to stay in the US for four months at a stretch. I tried to work out my schedule and suggested if I could shuttle between India and the US as it wouldn’t have been possible for me to be there for that long as I wanted to be here for The Lunchbox and D-Day. They couldn’t allow that. I don’t have a tendency to regret what I do, but knowing it’s a Christopher Nolan film, I can say that this has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made.”
He used to say “It pains me when a film actor or a cricketer is a youth icon. I don’t have anything against them. They are great entertainers; they are useful to the society. They contribute to people’s lives. But they are not heroes,” he once said.
Father’s advice to son
After his death, his son Babil shared Irrfan’s reaction when he told the ailing actor about his interest in acting. Irrfan had told Babil, “You’re screwed. I’m really good at what I do. You’ll have to be very, very good at this.”
Last year, Sutapa shared pictures from her birthday celebration hosted by her sons and friends and said, “Mere irrfan Her saal mere saalgirah bhulne ke leeye jao aakhir tumhe maine maaf kiya (Go Irrfan, I finally forgive you for never remembering my birthday).” He may have succumbed to cancer but Irrfan lives on in the minds of thousands of his admirers who remember the way he used to essay complex roles as easily as he was changing his clothes.
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