Irrfan: A complex human being, an intense actor 

In a rare session at the Front Lawn at Clarks Amer on Day 4 of the Jaipur Literature Festival, the audience was captivated by stories rather than questions as Shubhra Gupta, Sutapa Sikdar, and Vishal Bhardwaj, in conversation with Sathya Saran spoke about Irrfan Khan’s life and movies.

Bhardwaj fondly reminisced about Irrfan, sharing anecdotes that drew laughter from the audience. He recounted an incident where Irrfan, taking advantage of his innocent face, pretended not to understand the security’s objection to smoking on a plane, while finishing nearly 80% of his cigarette. He also shared that Irrfan’s unique approach to handling anger was avoiding eye contact.

In their creative collaborations from Maqbool to Haider and Saat Khoon Maaf, the filmmaker expressed the profound impact Irrfan had on his work. He said that the late actor’s versatility allowed him to portray characters spanning a wide age range. “Nobody could have done what Irrfan did. Nobody could have matched or even come closer to what he achieved. Whether it was Maqbool or Saat Khoon Maaf, whatever we did together, something special came out of it, which I haven’t been able to achieve with other actors. That’s why it’s a big loss for me as a creative man, I feel I’m half without Irrfan. He can play a 6-year-old child and he can also play a 100-year-old man,” he said. 

Irrfan’s wife, writer Sutapa Sikdar also spoke about his love for rain, revealing that significant moments in his life often coincided with rainfall. She recalled that he showed an unwavering dedication to becoming a great actor since his days at the National School of Drama (NSD). Talking about Shubhra Gupta’s book, Irrfan: A Life in Movies, Sikdar shared, “Pehli cheez maine unko yahi boli thi ki ye Jaipur mein zaroor jaana chahiye kyunki Irrfan Jaipur ke hain (The first thing I told Shubhra was that she should visit Jaipur because it is Irrfan’s hometown).” On Irrfan being a thorough professional, she added, “While still at the NSD, he was very clear that he has to be a great actor. And I don’t think anything mattered to him more than that about his craft.”

Gupta also highlighted Irrfan’s distinctiveness, emphasising how he immersed himself in every role. Unlike some actors who become synonymous with a particular persona, Irrfan’s ability to transcend cultural boundaries made him stand out globally. “Like when you see Salman Khan, it’s just bhaijaan. But that wasn’t the case with Irrfan. And I’m not talking about just India, I’m talking about the globe,” she shared. She noted that many people, even in speaking about him after his death, continued to use the present tense, celebrating his enduring impact.

Quoting Irrfan’s philosophical outlook, Gupta mentioned his perspective on not needing to understand everything. She quoted Irrfan saying, “Sab kuchh samajhna kyun zaroori hai. Nahin zaroori hai. You don’t have to understand everything. Let some things be,” she reminisced. “So, I think he had this very deep philosophical, very spiritual, very mischievous, very wicked streak. He was a complex human being and I think that complexity is something that really reflected in the roles that he did,” she added.