Khan was going through the same news at Gurukul, Old Baneshwar when Republica caught up with him.[break] He is currently in Nepal to attend the Kathmandu International Theater Festival, beginning on Wednesday.
Sporting a red jacket, blue jeans and nike shoes, he could have been mistaken for any other regular guy in the hazy light of the Gurukul grounds. But as he approached us, his height and face was unmistaken. It was Irrfan Khan. At 48, he has accomplished what few Indian actors have - a career filled with critical and commercial success.
Khan has been the quintessential Indian face in the Hollywood cinema, acting as the father in “Darjeeling Limited”, Ashok Ganguli in “The Namesake” and an inspector in “A Mighty Heart” among others. He has also achieved commercial success and praise back home for his character roles in films like “Life in a Metro” and “Maqbool”.
Reflecting on his career, Khan spoke with ease about his passion. “I enjoy what I do. I have always been against formal education and at National School of Drama I got to explore my passion,” he began. It was here that he met Sunil Pokharel, director of Gurukul. He was taking a course in acting and Pokharel in directing. They lost contact after graduating from the college but now they have reconnected and Khan is all praises for Pokharel.
“He has a very light spirit. He posses a purity that affects your soul,” he says. His trip to Nepal has all been charted out. Although a hike to Chisapani was planned out, it was cancelled. He will be enjoying a day in Pokhara, getting on a mountain flight and coming back to Kathmandu for the inauguration of the Theater festival.
“I am finding the ambience very romantic. Nepali faces in particular are very engaging,” he puts. During the day he went on a visit to the Swayambunath temple but couldn’t get to climb the stairs because of the crowd. “I was enjoying watching the monkeys and had just thrown a coin into the pond when I was surrounded by fans. So I dropped the idea of climbing up. I hope this does not happen in Pokhara,” he says.
A quirky smile spreads on his face and he takes some time to roll a cigarette. His hands move like a pro, “I caught the habit while shooting for “In Treatment”. My character does this and now I enjoy the whole act of making my own cigarettes. It’s more personal, unlike taking a cigarette and smoking it out of a pack,” he informs.
Starting out with his first role in a Mira Nair film, Khan has worked with the who’s who of Bollywood and Hollywood. His first big break came with “The Warrior,” a film by Asif Kapadia. “It was a film that changed by life. I had no sense of direction and my career was faltering at that time but the film redeemed me. Kapadia is also my favorite director,” he shares. Although he was offered a role in Kapadia’s next he couldn’t do it because he was shooting for “A Mighty Heart”.
The Namesake, released in 2007, brought him a larger audience and further praise. “I am happy to affect the heart of audiences through the film. It made the parent-child relationship special. Parents were calling their children after coming out of the cinema halls and children doing the same.”
Khan is now preparing for the release of “Paan Singh Tomar” and in talks with director Ang Lee to sign for “Life Of Pi”. The former film has already been screened in various film festivals around the world and has garnered a very good response. About director Ang Lee, Khan mentions that after watching his “Lust and Caution” he felt as if he had been infused by a drug. He couldn’t get the characters out of his head and is looking forward to working with him.
He will be playing the role of Pi in the film. About the character being based on a novel, he defends, “The medium of literature and cinema are totally different. You do not think about the book when you enact the role in front of the camera.”
“I would love to do a musical. And portray leading characters of “The Hungry Tide” and “The White Tiger,” he adds. Real life characters inspire him more than others and he hopes to reflect the character traits of Arundhati Roy and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in his future roles.
One of the finest talents to have emerged from Bollywood, Khan’s burgeoning resume is only a tip of the iceberg. International recognition apart, it won’t be presumptuous to expect Khan to keep experimenting with his roles and establish a cult of work which will inspire generations to come, not to forget the generation before him too.
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