When Irrfan Khan said that Bollywood ‘enjoys demonising’ him because of his ‘devilish looks’
It has been two years since acting royalty Irrfan Khan died. In his career, he had appeared in virtually every kind of cinema, ranging from mainstream Bollywood to international arthouse. And it came as no surprise that when he died, condolences poured in from all quarters. Everyone, from Chris Pratt to Ang Lee, expressed their sadness at the loss.
But Irrfan drew acclaim and appreciation during his lifetime, as well. Many of his collaborators often spoke highly of him. And thanks to his high-profile appearances in hit film franchises such as Jurassic World and Spider-Man, he remained one of India’s most prominent acting exports.
Marc Webb, who directed Irrfan in The Amazing Spider-Man, sent a special recorded message for Irrfan on Raveena Tandon’s show It’s My Life. “Irrfan’s importance in Hollywood is an interesting thing,” the (500) Days of Summer filmmaker said. “A lot of directors are really starting to take notice of him and are looking for roles for Irrfan because he’s got such a wonderful reputation. There’s a show he did here [in the US] called In Treatment and you really got to see his wonderful abilities. Whether its Danny Boyle or Ang Lee, really very strong directors are starting to take notice of this star who comes from a land that some view as exotic and far away from us. But you realize with actors like Irrfan, how close they really are. Irrfan, it’s good to see you again. I hope you’re doing well and my best to you and your family.”
Irrfan collaborated with Hollywood icon Tom Hanks in the third film in the Robert Langdon series, Inferno. He received a special handwritten note from Hanks prior to production, and expressed his excitement at working with the actor. And at a press event, the gracious Hanks let everybody know how deeply he admired Irrfan’s talent. “Here’s what I hate about Irrfan Khan…” Hanks said. “I always think I’m the coolest guy in the room, and everybody’s hanging on to every word I say and everybody’s a little intimidated to be in my presence. And then Irrfan Khan walks into the room. And he’s the coolest guy in the room. And as soon as I walked up to him I said, ‘Irrfan Khan, I’m going to steal from you everything I possibly can. I’m going to start speaking very quietly in films. I’m going to wear very nice suits. And I will draw out the last sound of every sentence that I say.’ And doing that, I will be doing a very pale imitation of the coolest guy in the room.”
In a 2009 interview published the Financial Express, Irrfan had expressed concern that Bollywood started recognising him as a viable leading man only after he won international awards for The Warrior. He said, “Bollywood enjoys demonising me, though I have no clue why. Maybe they think that my looks are devilish, but the international filmmakers find me perfect to play sensitive human characters and they want to cast me as the good guy.” That being said, Irrfan dismissed the possibility of him moving to Los Angeles entirely. He said that he could see a bright future for himself, now that he was in a position to choose.
The actor would go on to star in popular Hindi hits such as Paan Singh Tomar, Piku and Hindi Medium. He died after a two-year battle with cancer in 2020. His son Babil is poised to make his acting debut soon.
