Irrfan Khan-The Man, The Dreamer, The Star
12 Movies of Irrfan Khan that shows why he was one of the best actors of our time.
With his bulging eyes and deep intellect, Irrfan Khan was versatile, sought-after, and equally adept in the role of hero, villain or, the truth of somewhere in between.
He was the rare Indian actor who found success in both Bollywood and Hollywood.
Irrfan Khan was born and brought up in Jaipur, India. He was born into a Muslim Nawab family. He was studying for his M.A. degree when he earned a scholarship to study at the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi in 1984.
After graduating in 1987, Khan moved to Mumbai, where he acted in numerous television serials like ‘Chanakya’,’Sara Jahan Hamara’, ‘Banegi Apni Baat’ and ‘Chandrakanta’ (Doordarshan) and ‘Star Bestsellers’ (Star Plus), Sparsh, etc.
Television kept him occupied until acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair offered him a cameo in her 1988 movie “Salaam Bombay!”. But his role was edited out in the final cut of the movie. Nair promised to cast Irrfan in the lead in a film and 16 years later gave him “The Namesake”, one of his most memorable roles.
Khan’s career spanned over 30 years and earned him numerous accolades, including a National Film Award, an Asian Film Award, and four Filmfare Awards. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
Some of the big international films he had done include “A Mighty Heart”, “Darjeeling Express”, & “Partition” along with numerous others like “The Amazing Spider-Man”. The last Hollywood project was with Tom Hanks in 2016'’s “Inferno”, where the Hollywood actor said he was struck by Irrfan’s “beguiling eyes”.
1.Life of Pi(2012)
In Life of Pi, Irfan played the character of adult Pi Patel. In the film, he says ‘ I suppose in the end the whole of life becomes an act of letting go but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say ‘goodbye’.
2. The Lunchbox(2013)
Irrfan stole the spotlight in The Lunchbox, a charming film about a lunch box mix-up that ignited an unlikely friendship. The film told the story of how lonely people can be in a teeming metropolis. The film was showered with awards and acclaim including a BAFTA Award nomination.
3. Slumdog Millionaire(2008)
In 2008, he teamed up with Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire. Khan played the police inspector who beats Dev Patel’s character, Jamal — believing him to be a cheat. Boyle described the performance as “beautiful to watch”.
4. Jurassic World(2015)
“I have seen only the first movie in the Jurassic Park franchise that came out in 1993. I was mesmerized; there was a new killer on the block, a dinosaur that instilled fear in the hearts of all those who saw it. I can’t forget the “toilet scene” where the dinosaur attacks a man while he is in the loo.” — Irrfan Khan on acting in Jurassic World where he plays the role of Simon Masrani, who owns the park.
5. The Namesake(2006)
Based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel ‘The Namesake’, Irrfan played the role of Ashok Ganguly and Tabu as Ashima Ganguly a young couple from Calcutta, growing into their marriage and life in America, their adopted country. Their experiences as Indian parents in the US was sensitively portrayed and the cultural rifts were compellingly explained. Khan as Ashok made you reach for the tissues and his tenuous bond with his children — who didn’t fully understand him during his lifetime — was beautifully portrayed. Here’s a family drama that resonated with every expatriate around the world and talked about inter-generational conflicts without making it boring.
6. Pan Singh Tomar(2012)
Irrfan won his first National Award for best actor for playing a dacoit in Paan Singh Tomar, directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia. Irrfan successfully showed the journey of a dedicated and passionate athlete to an angry man who feels betrayed by the system as well as society. Shot in the ravines of Chambal, Khan trained rigorously with steeplechase coaches. He even broke an ankle during filming, but he broke a leg metaphorically with this film.
7. Piku(2015)
Piku will always remain one of the most memorable films of Irrfan’s career. Shoojit Sircar turned Irrfan into an impatient yet resourceful businessman Rana Chaudhary in the light-hearted drama, also featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone.
8. Maqbool(2003)
It was no regular phenomenon to see an actor winning hearts with the portrayal of a devilish character but Irrfan made the audience fall in love with him in Maqbool. He played the titular role of Miyan Maqbool, styled on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, Maqbool is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The film had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and it was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival 2004.
9. Hindi Medium(2017)
Irrfan will forever be remembered as the middle-class man from Hindi Medium who would go to any length to get his daughter admission to a decent school in Delhi. The film resonated with a very wide audience, making the film an instant hit.
10. Madaari(2016)
Irrfan Khan, as Nirmal, portrays a man who lost his son who was his whole world. Nirmal’s story and how he battles the difficult situations show us that situations can become very difficult in just the blink of an eye, but we need to keep going forward and do the right thing.
11. Billo Barber(2009)
In an Indian village, a struggling barber sees his luck begin to turn when residents learn that a famous actor he once knew is coming to town.
When Irrfan Khan was given a call by director Priyadarshan to act in Shah Rukh Khan’s home banner project, BILLU BARBER, the ace actor was prepared for a supporting role. In fact, Irrfan clearly was surprised to hear that it was SRK who was to play an extended cameo in the film and that he was the chosen one to play the main lead.
12. Angrezi Medium(2020)
Irrfan bids adieu to a multi-splendoured innings in celluloid with “Angrezi Medium”, which released in the theatres last month, just before the India-wide lockdown began on March 25. He shot the film while still under treatment for his cancer but could not make it for the promotions.
And left behind a message instead.
“Hello brothers and sister… This is me Irrfan. Today I’m with you but also not with you,” he begins.
“There is a saying… ‘’When life gives you lemons, you make lemonades out of it. It sounds good. But when life actually puts lemon in your hands, it becomes really tough to make lemonade… Enjoy the trailer and be kind to each other…And yes wait for me,” he says.
The words echo in the silence of a promise never to be kept.
RIP 🙏 Irrfan Sir.
