Irrfan
He is best remembered for his performance as Paan Singh Tomar but Irrfan tells you that he was as excited about lunchbox as he was about PST. It was a script written for him and he thinks he has done full justice to the role. Irrfan doesn’t consider himself a diehard romantic and he wanted to do lunchbox as a challenge. He is ready to test unknown waters now, he tells Deebashree Mohanty
‘I had only roti & achaar for 10 years in my lunchbox’
lunchbox has done very well at the box office. How does that make you feelIJ
I am very pleased. It was a special film for me and I had full faith in the script. Although I had my doubts about people liking such an off-beat film, but someone reminded me that Paan Singh Tomar, too, was not a run-of-the- mill Bollywood film and yet it was liked by all. I take the success of lunchbox very personally because I had told Ritesh Batra that this film will do wonders. I had to prove a point.
There were reports that you were not convinced about the ending.
On the contrary, I was very happy that it did not end the conventional way in which the hero-heroine meet and embrace. I did tell the director that this love story may not be taken very well because the protagonists don’t meet at all. But he told me that this was the USP of lunchbox. It was a risk we were all prepared to take.
How was it working with Nawazuddin Siddique, another upcoming talentIJ
He is a superb actor many times better than me. Nawaz is a method actor who can don many hats. He is extremely talented. You will be surprised how well he can carry off a comic role. He is also the most sincere actor in this industry. Newcomers have a lot to learn from him.
Is it true that you started off on a wrong note with himIJ
There was some misunderstanding regarding a quote in the media. But we cleared the air and all is well now. Nawaz understands that such incidents will keep happening in this industry. We have a lot of respect for each other and we hope we get to work together more often.
You are always on the lookout for unconventional roles...
I have done enough films to understand what kind of roles suit me. I cannot pull of a raunchy comedy. Also, I have my own limitations and I am not scared to face them. I know I don’t have the dashing good looks to star in a larger-than-life commercial film. I would rather do character roles which define me better. Having said that, I feel the time is right to experiment in different genres.
How would you summarise your journey thus farIJ
I have had a lots of ups and downs. Have committed a lot of mistakes, hurt a few people unintentionally and then moved on. I finally realised that I have to fight my way through. I have to make my own space. When I did that the journey seemed wonderful. Now, I am having the time of my life. I have finally arrived.
So what was in your lunchbox when you went to schoolIJ
I had roti and achaar for 10 years. I was very happy if I would get parathas instead but I know my parents had to go through a lot of hardship to give me a square meal so I never complained and polished off whatever I got. I have never envied other children’s tiffins. Guess I was too mature for that.