Filmmaker Sudhir Mishra, who worked with the late Irrfan Khan on the film Yeh Saali Zindagi, reflected on his talents and ambitions. In an interview, the veteran filmmaker said that while Irrfan was a ‘graceful’ person on set, often ignoring his own performance and thinking about the bigger picture, he was highly ambitious in his personal life. Irrfan died at the age of 53 in 2020, after a two-year battle with cancer.
Appearing on Mashable’s The Bombay Dream show, hosted by casting director Mukesh Chhabra, Sudhir described Irrfan as almost a ‘co-writer’ on their film, and said that he belongs to the category of performers who can’t be directed. “Irrfan was never interested in his performance. He was absolutely certain that he would be able to nail it. He was more interested in observing his co-stars. He would watch Deepak Dobriyal perform,” the filmmaker said. “He knew that his performance would work only if the scene works. He obviously did his homework beforehand.”
Sudhir recalled that Irrfan would sometimes ask for his lines to be edited out, or for a scene to be cut on his co-star, without putting himself above everybody else. “I’ve never seen a more unselfish actor. Don’t get me wrong, he was very selfish in his personal life. He wanted it everything. He wanted the stardom, he wanted the international success; he wasn’t boring, he was a badmaash. But, when he was working, he was very graceful,” Sudhir recalled.
In the same interview, he also highlighted Manoj Bajpayee as a prime example of a star who has juggled between the indie and the mainstream space with ease. He said that Manoj understands his worth, which is why he demands the big bucks from studios that can afford it, but at the same time, works with newcomers for nothing.
In his career, Irrfan worked in films across genres and sensibilities. He also worked on international projects such as Jurassic World, Life of Pi, and The Amazing Spider-Man, among other titles.
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