Irrfan Khan Birth Anniversary: There are many actors and stars in the world of cinema, but very few artists. Today we will talk about a personality who was both an actor, an artist and a star. Today we will talk about Irrfan Khan. That Irfan, who after leaving Rajasthan, first settles in Mumbai and then makes his mark in Hollywood also. Talk about Irfan who wanted to become a cricketer, but fate made him an actor. An actor who acted with his eyes and did not play characters had to live. Talk about that Irfan, who said goodbye to all of us in the year 2020. But he is alive in the hearts of people and will always be alive, because artists never die. Today (January 7) is his birth anniversary. In such a situation, let us take a look at his journey and how he worked his magic from Rajasthan to Hollywood.
His story begins from Tonk city of Rajasthan. He was born in this city on 7 January 1967. Irfan's mother's name was Saeeda Begum and father's name was Sahabzade Yasin Ali Khan. His father used to do tire business. But Irfan was not interested in business but in cricket. He was fond of playing cricket since childhood. Wanted to make my career in this field also.
He was also selected in a cricket tournament named CK Nayudu. But the financial condition of the house was not so good that he could afford the expenses of that tournament. In this way, the paths of Cricket and Irfan parted ways and then begins the story that gave the world a serious artist. Actually, Irfan's maternal uncle was associated with theatre. Inspired by him, Irfan also joined theatre. He was a part of many plays in Jaipur.
During his time in theatre, Irfan had decided that he would make his career in this field. But first I thought of learning the nuances of cinema. He gets a scholarship from the National School of Drama (NSD) of Delhi and then he reaches Delhi. Do Diploma in Dramatic Arts course from NSD. Once he was performing in a workshop, when he was noticed by filmmaker Mira Nair and then he was asked to come to Mumbai. Meera asks him to come to Mumbai and attend a workshop.
Irrfan reaches Mumbai and gets a flat rented by Meera to live in. Actor Raghubir Yadav (Pradhan ji of Panchayat series) is also already living in the same flat. At that time Meera was making a film named 'Salaam Bombay', Irrfan was made to undergo a workshop for that film and then he got the role of a street boy. Till now everything was going well but they say that life is not as easy as it seems.
The shooting of 'Salaam Bombay' is about to begin, but two days before that he comes to know that his role has been cut from the film. Instead of this role, Mira Nair gives him a very small role of a letter writer. After receiving this news, Irfan breaks down internally, reaches the flat and keeps crying the whole night with his head on the shoulder of his flatmate Raghubir Yadav.
His acting career started with 'Salaam Bombay', but the journey to success was still very long. To earn his living, he also used to do AC repair work in Mumbai in his initial days. After that he moves towards the small screen. He works in many TV shows including 'Bharat Ke Ek Khoj', 'Sanjha Chulha', 'Suno Kahani' and many more. Along with this, he also keeps doing small roles in films.
In the year 2001, a film named 'The Warrior' was released and he entered British cinema through this film. Irrfan was first noticed in a big role in the film 'Haasil', which was released in May 2003. After 8 months, in January 2004, 'Maqbool' is released, due to which Irrfan comes into the eyes of the world. After that he lined up many great films like Billu, Paan Singh Tomar, Life in a Metro, D-Day. And then it is not limited to Bollywood only. They reach Hollywood.
In the year 2006, Irrfan entered Hollywood through the film 'The Namesake' and then became a part of many international films including Jurassic World, Slumdog Millionaire, Life of a Pi. The last film of his career was also an international film, which came three years after his death. We will talk about that further.
Irrfan not only worked in many international films but also rejected big projects like Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar', 'Body of Lies', 'The Martian'. He was also rejected from these films because at that time he was working in excellent films like 'Lunch Box' and 'Piku'.
Many actors have been seen changing their names after coming into films. In the year 2012, Irfan also made a small change in his name. Earlier he used to spell the name as IRFAN. But in 2012, he added an extra 'R' to his name and changed from IRFAN to IRRFAN. There is artistry hidden behind every work of an artist. The reason behind the decision to change his name was also artistic. Actually, the sound of an extra 'R' in his name was pleasing to his heart. He had simply made Extra 'R' a part of his life. In the same way, he had also become a part of the lives of cinema lovers.
All his fans get a deep shock when on March 16, 2018, one of his posts appears on social media and he tells that he is suffering from Neuroendocrine Tumor, which is a rare disease. They undergo treatment in the UK for a long time and then return to India. It was the period of Corona epidemic, after his health deteriorated on 28 April 2020, he was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. The very next day on 29th April the news comes that Irfan is no more. No one believes it for a moment. Everyone gets a big shock. There is silence in the film world. As if time had stopped.
Irrfan was last seen in Hindi cinema in the film 'Angrezi Medium', which was released one and a half months before his death. this is his last Bollywood the film was. However, after this he was seen once again on the big screen. His last international film 'The Song of Scorpions' was released on 28 April 2023, three years after his departure from this world. This film was made in Swiss-French-Singaporean co-production.
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Not only Irfan's acting, his dialogues were also effective. Or we can say that his style of speaking made that dialogue effective. Like - "This city takes more from us in return than it gives us" and "I am the river, I am the tree, I am the river, I am the Chinar. I am a river, I am a harem, I am a Shia, I am a Sunni, I am a Pandit, I was and I will always be."
Irrfan's family now consists of his wife Sutapa Sikdar and his two sons Babil Khan and Ayaan Khan. His legacy now rests on the shoulders of these two sons. Both his sons are also working in the world of cinema. Ayaan stays away from the limelight, but Babil is often a part of the discussion. He has worked on projects like 'Qala' and 'The Railway Main'.
Anyway, there is a lot to write about Irrfan, but let's end this story here. And finally two lines written by Khalid Sharif for Irfan- “One person got so upset that his mood changed and he made the entire city deserted.”
