When Irrfan Khan passed away on April 29, the bulk of trending topics on Twitter in India was related to his death. In this Covid-19 focused time, when all news tends to revolve around it, this was remarkable.
It showed how much Irrfan Khan was loved and revered by the public, despite not enjoying the image of a 'star'. Irrfan was an actor whose strength was in essaying complicated roles in an uncomplicated way.
Take for instance his role in that compact and charming movie Piku. He played Rana Chaudhary, the owner of a travel agency that has a fleet of cars for rent. Though he is the owner of the firm, circumstances force him to turn up as the driver to Piku and Bhashkor (Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan) who wear their eccentricities on their sleeves. Irrfan, on the other hand, plays its subtly, and his idiosyncrasies come across as just endearing character traits.
That is Irrfan for you, always coming up with a nuance that appeals to both the cineaste as well as the common viewer.
This long weekend is as good a time as any to binge watch one of modern India's remarkable performers, who brought to his art both a local fervour and an international flavour. Here are ten of his popular films, in no particular order, from various streaming platforms:
Paan Singh Tomar
Platform: Netflix
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Synopsis: It's an agonising story of an award-winning Army athlete turning into a feared dacoit forced as he is by sad social circumstances. Playing the eponymous role, Irrfan Khan breathed rare life into a troubled character. He deservedly won the National award for a performance that would be talked about for ages.
Life in a...Metro
Platform: Netflix
Director: Anurag Basu
Synopsis: In a movie that had an ensemble cast, Irrfan as Monty, who is a bit gauche when it comes to social niceties, gave a performance that painted the character, which could be easily disliked, with warm, agreeable hues. The evolving bonding with the Konkona Sen Sharma character filled the screen with romance that was mature as well as fun.
Maqbool
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Synopsis: Irrfan was at his lacerating best as the Macbethian Maqbool, who as the trusted lieutenant of the don, eventually kills him. Woven into this tapestry of blood and gore is Maqbool's love affair with the don's mistress Nimmy (Tabu). The film, at core a tragedy of guilt and lust, is also suffused with sardonic undercurrents. Torn between loyalty and his own ambitions, Irrfan as Maqbool pulled off a tour de force. Irrfan has you rooting for him even when he betrays his boss.
Karwaan
Platform: Amazon Prime
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Synopsis: A bizarre tale of mixed coffins ensures that three unlikely characters have to undertake a road trip from Bengaluru to Kochi (Kerala) in a van. The film is full of understated humour and Irrfan shines through and through. His performance as Shaukat, the driver and friend of Avinash (Dulqer Salman), is top-notch for the way he makes the delicate humour in the situations work. It is a role that calls for discernment in performance. One key higher or lower, it would have become a burlesque act. But Irrfan was spot on.
Talvar
Platform: Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar
Director: Meghna Gulzar
Synopsis: The film's story is the cause clebre that shook India --- the murder of the teenage girl Aarushi Talwar and her family servant. It is a complicated case and among the suspects were the parents of the young girl --- they were first sentenced to life by a lower court, but the Allahabad High Court exonerated them. The matter is now in the Supreme Court. In the film, Irrfan as the main investigating officer, cuts a cool and dignified presence. He could have easily played to the gallery in a case that was already sensational. But that is not Irrfan's style. He adds layers of sincerity to his characters.
The Lunchbox
Platform: Netflix
Director: Ritesh Batra
Synopsis: It is a rare crowd-pleaser as well as a critic-satisfier, pretty much like Irrfan himself. The movie also had another high-voltage performer Nawazuddin Siddiqui. But the film is an intriguing love story with Mumbai's Dabbawalas playing an important backdrop in the plot. Irrfan's role, for the most part, has not much speaking to do, but has to talk from notes. Again, as a lonely widower, with conflicting emotions, it is a difficult character, but Irrfan makes it all accessible and acknowledgeable with another of his sui generis performances.
Life of Pi
Platform: Youtube
Director: Yang Lee
Synopsis: The Booker-prize winning novel of Yan Martel was a global success as a movie thanks in no small measure to Irrfan's measured performance as the writer who recounts his 'magical' story of being stuck in a boat in the midst of an ocean along with, well, a tiger. Irrfan gives his role and his story a ring of plausibility. This sense of believability that brings to his character was his calling card all through his career.
Haasil
Platform: Youtube
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Synopsis: Irrfan, as a student gang leader, brought to the fore in this film his ability to play characters with negative shades. The movie did not do well when it was released, but subsequently gained followers, not in the least for the power-packed performance of Irrfan.
Blackmail
Platform: Amazon Prime
Director: Abhinay Deo
Synopsis: It is a convoluted comedy and Irrfan, leading a boring life in a toilet paper company, becomes a husband who blackmails his own wife and her paramour. It is a twisted tale told with a lot of humour, and Irrfan delivers a pitch-perfect performance. To make a character with uninteresting traits interesting to watch on screen is something of Irrfan's speciality.
Angrezi Medium
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Director: Homi Adjania
Synopsis: His swan song before he was laid low by cancer. This is a nominal sequel to the hugely successful and laughter caper Hindi Medium, one of the biggest successes of Irrfan’s career. In this movie, Irrfan plays a middle-class widower out to fulfil his daughter's dream of studying in London. A role right up his alley. As ever, he does his job with seeming ease.
