Irrfan Khan: Gone too soon...

Mona

AN actor who can say it all through his eyes alone, dedicated artiste, a friend with best one-liners and a staid being who would often give in to the moments of laughter, Irrfan Khan is remembered by his friends and colleagues as a gem of a person.

• Also read: He wowed critics & fans alike

At another level

Script-writer Sanjay Chauhan knew Irrfan from his Delhi days. “I first met him at Shri Ram Centre; I was student of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Irrfan of National School of Drama (NSD). He would take his plays to another level. I remember a play Laal Ghaas Par Neele Ghode in which he enacted Lenin. The moment Irrfan came on stage one forgot how Lenin looked; he would transform into Lenin.” This capacity to move beyond a given script is what made him a fine actor, believes Sanjay. “If he loved a character, he would transcend the script; not that he would always do that, in many a commercial films he did chalu kaam too.”

Sanjay mentions a scene from Paan Singh Tomar, “It was a scene difficult to explain — he goes to meet his son at an Army Training camp. He forbids his son to touch his feet lest people realise. The emotions that he puts in that brief conversation, the pride to see his son in Army uniform… Irrfan took it beyond words.”

Unique sense of humour

NSD pass-out Rajesh Jais did not get to spend time with Irrfan in Delhi, but spent plenty of time with him in Mumbai. “He passed out in 1987, I entered NSD in 1988. Tigmanshu Dhulia, I and few others… we shared a flat at Goregaon East that was our adda and Irrfan would often come by. We had our discussions and played cricket together in a forest.” Rajesh says Irrfan was an introvert, but with a unique sense of humour. “Vo kahte hain na sau sunar ki, ek lohar ki. He would listen to everyone speak all day and then leave a remark in his signature style and we would be in splits.” Though we were all friends, Irrfan was respected in the group for the dedication to his craft. “He would do lots of masti too. On my wedding day, I was waiting to be called in the gurdwara, as my wife was from a Sikh family, but there seemed an endless delay. Worried when I asked, we realised that Irrfan bhai ade huye hain ki ladka Sardar nahi hai to pagdi kyon pahne,” Rajesh says.

A true intellectual

Director Pawan Kumar Sharma takes a trip down NSD where Irrfan was his senior. “Irrfan bhai was a true intellectual. His life was ordinary, not thoughts. All the time that we saw him, he was always working on himself. He always had a book in hand or spoke about theatre; he was akin to a teacher, not senior.”

“As part of NSD Repertory Company I have seen Irrfan grow. He was lean, bright, mischievous boy; the whole of his batch was remarkable. Step by step to success, he was one fine example of it. All through his journey, he did take inspiration from world cinema but never tried to step into any Bollywood or Hollywood giant’s shoes; he was Irrfan Khan. From Partition to Haider, I got to work with him, and it was always great to work together. Through award functions to updates on his health through Sutapa (his wife), we stayed in touch. He was the only actor in our industry who could express through his eyes alone and his smile was enthralling. One loses people in life, but somehow, one’s not ready to believe that such a stellar journey is cut short. — Dolly Ahluwalia Tewari, actress

‘He was a true fighter’

Divya Dutta recalls him as an amazing co-star, “We did four films together. Dubai Return was our first. Just like me, Irrfan too loved to improvise a lot and not rehearse much. As a co-star he kept me on toes, one only had to look in his eyes to bring a scene to life.” As much for his expressions and body language, Divya remembers the actor for his humour. “Crazy, lovely, nuanced… his sense of humour was out of world, his one-liners were brilliant… We only knew him as a fighter.” — Divya Dutta, actress

Paying tributes

Actor par excellence, Irrfan Khan passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday morning. The actor was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018 and was under treatment since then. Bollywood celebrities took to social media to pay tributes to the actor. Here’s who wrote what on Twitter:

Amitabh Bachchan

T 3516 … just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news .. An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum .. Prayers and duas.

Akshay Kumar

Such terrible news…saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time.

Priyanka Chopra

The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family.

Aamir Khan

Very sad to hear about our dear colleague Irrfan. How tragic and sad. Such a wonderful talent. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Thank you Irrfan for all the joy you have brought to our lives through your work. You will be fondly remembered.

Shah Rukh Khan

My friend…inspiration & the greatest actor of our times. Allah bless your soul Irrfan bhai…will miss you as much as cherish the fact that you were part of our lives.

Anil Kapoor

Indescribably saddened to hear that we’ve lost Irrfan Khan. I’ll always be thankful to him for taking care of Sonam when they worked together & for being her guiding light at the time. He was an inspiration for everyone, a remarkable actor, unmatched talent & a great human being.

Kangana Ranaut

This day has come as a dark unsettling grim emotion. Irrfan Khan is a great self made artist, he rose from doing small character roles in TV soaps to working in academy award winning films as a lead artist, My heart is deeply disturbed at this loss.

Taapsee Pannu

When we thought nothing could make us feel worse,this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way for ever. You ARE the best we have #IrrfanKhan.

mona@tribunemail.com