Irrfan Khan gave up Ridley Scott’s movie to shoot Piku. While he was here to promote education for kids, he spoke to S Mallik about his forthcoming Hollywood projects and working with Tom Hanks
To us he is Roohdaar from Haider, Saajan Fernandez from The lunchbox and Maqbool from Maqbool but for tiny tots he is “the cop from Gunday.” While there’s a list of remarkable performances that stayed in our minds for the sheer depth and intensity they were performed with, there are characters like Satya that even a kid would remember. Such is the diversity in his body of work. Be it any role, Irrfan Khan did it so convincingly on screen that he became the character himself. The kids at Round Table BK International School hovered around him to ask questions about the actor’s school days and childhood. And Irrfan, as if he has been friends with those children for long, answered all. “When I was in an elementary school, I had no idea what I liked. Unless you find interest in a subject, education does not begin. Marks and grades are just numbers, they do not determine the choices you make in your life,” said the actor, who was here to celebrate the efforts of P&G Shiksha, the educational campaign under which two floors were added to the school building to provide better facility to students. After interacting with students, he spoke to us about his Hollywood projects and his choice of films.
“Hollywood is realising the potential of Indian actors and they are tapping it carefully. There is a change that is happening in the movie industry all across the world. Meaningful and thought-provoking movies are being made more than ever before and that is a big motivation for actors. And to be part of Jurassic World was more than I could ask for,” said the actor who has appeared in movies like The Namesake, The Amazing Spider-Man and life of Pi. The actor will soon be seen in the next Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World, where he will play the role of Simon Masrani, CEO of Masrani Corporation and the owner of Jurassic World. While Jurassic World will have its world premiere in los Angeles in June, the actor is gearing up for the shoot of his next Hollywood project along with Tom Hanks.
The shooting of Inferno, based on Dan Brown’s book, will begin next month. The actor, who returned last month from a workshop that was conducted by director Ron Howard in Budapest, said, “When you are working on a Hollywood project you just cannot come to shoot at the scheduled time everyday and act. You have to do a lot of preparation even before you reach the sets. The workshop that I did with Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones and Omar Sy taught me many aspects of a mystery thriller,” said Irrfan who could not stop praising Hanks. “He is one of the most humble men I have ever come across. His calmness gets to you. But at the same time, he is also witty and funny. Not only is he a wonderful actor but he is always there to help everyone, guiding them with their lines and expression. I cannot wait to begin shooting with him,” he added.
If one goes by his body of work, he will come across as an actor who chooses his roles carefully. “I go by the story and the character I would be playing in it. I am always intrigued to delve into different characters because I want to understand their psyche. I try not to repeat roles,” he explained. The actor might be satisfied with the diverse roles that he has played so far but he is still looking for a director to approach him with a romantic or comic role. “It is the dream of every actor to play a romantic role in a movie and I am no different. When I started watching movies I aspired to become a hero romancing a beautiful girl or doing comedy. I want some director to give me that chance,” he shared.
His forthcoming film Piku is a “feel-good movie,” he said. “Piku is a heart-warming and witty film, something I have not done so far. It is not another run-of-the-mill entertainer that people will forget once they leave the hall. It is not preachy. We enjoyed while making the movie and it surely will strike a chord with the audience. People will identify with the characters because they are real, their daily struggles are the ones we all go through,” said the actor who apparently turned down Ridley Scott’s movie The Martian to shoot Piku. “It was an opportunity to work with Amitabh Bachchan and I did not want to miss it. I have already missed out on Scott’s Body of lies six years ago but I look forward to working with him in the future, if he approaches me for the third time,” he said.