Rather than intensity, Irrfan Khan wants to display his flair for comedy in his upcoming movie. He talks to Saimi Sattar about Hindi Medium and more
Brooding, intense, thinking woman’s sex symbol, adds complexity and depth to the characters are some descriptions that pepper any conversation around the actor Irrfan Khan. But it is not a brooding character that he plays nor intensity that he displays in his new movie, Hindi Medium, which releases this week. The actor would be unfurling his flair for comedy and his impeccable timing with the movie. “I was dying to do comedy. After this too, I would be doing two more,” says the actor, who answers questions patiently minus any tantrums.
He took on this movie as he was attracted by the way it dealt with the topic of parents aspiring to put their children in English medium schools. “The subject was not preachy. It is comic. Even in an issue based film, people don't want to be preached to. They go to a movie to be entertained. And it's your job as a film maker or a story teller as to how you penetrate the layer, rather than putting the issue on the surface,” he says. Khan is in the capital where he learnt the nuances of his craft at National School of Drama during the 1980s, to promote his movie.
Saba Qamar, a Pakistani actor, whom Indian audiences have seen in some popular serials like Maat and Waqt Ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam on the Zindagi channel stars opposite him in the movie. Khan is glad that his movie has been released without much brouhaha over the casting of an actor from across the border and is all praise for her. He says, “She is very experienced and has done many series. She took a little time to adjust as in series there are long takes unlike cinema where there are several takes just for one dialogue What worked for her was her sense of humour and her comic timing - she has both in ample measure.”
Khan has also bagged yet another Hollywood project with Marc Turtletaub. He will be starring in Puzzle, based on an Argentine movie, Rompecabezas. But this is not the first time that he would be a part of an international venture. Inferno (2016), life of Pi (2012), Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Jurrasic World, were some of his previous outings. “Kelly Macdonald is in the movie which is a story about a relationship. It is something that I have been wanting to do. This is a new area for me and I wanted that some other aspect of mine should be explored,”
But that is Khan for you. Despite his unconventional looks and the absence of a godfather in an industry which is known to thrive on nepotism, Khan has made sure that he makes his mark in every movie that he is a part of. During the screening of Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Julia Roberts stepped out of the theatre to complement him on his portrayal of a police inspector.
One is naturally curious to know where he learnt to get under the skin of the character. Khan says there is no place in India where realistic acting is taught. His portrayals are borne out of trial and error. In Hollywood there are schools to teach you the way to approach a character. He says, “The situations in a movie are not foreign. You have to personalise them and when you personalise the character, situation and story you start reflecting on life and behaving according to the situation. That's when even your breathing comes in sync with the character.”
Khan has always been meticulous. The son of a wealthy zamindar from Tonk in Rajasthan, before joining movies, Khan tried many different things from business to service but soon realised that these did not interest him. “I understood that till the time I enjoy doing something I cannot do it continuously. If you are bored out of your wits within six months, how can you continue to do it for the rest of your lifeIJ” he says.
He watched a lot of movies and found it engaging. “I was fascinated by the craft. I watched Dilip Kumar sahib and Naseeruddin Shah and was fascinated by their performance and not by style or glamour. So it was important for me to learn the craft," he says. Someone told him about the National School of Drama and also that Shah had graduated from the place. Khan got obsessed by acting and the idea that he had to get into NSD. And heavens did conspire to finally make sure that he got into the course. “If NSD wasn’t there I wouldn’t have been here. It has given me everything,” he says.
After graduation Khan wanted to hone his skills rather than entering the industry immediately. But things worked out a little differently for him as compared to the average Bollywood struggler. “I was in drama school and some small offers started coming to me. Perhaps they weren’t to my liking, but were enough to survive. I was planning to stay in Delhi and work with Repertory till the time I felt I was ready. But it didn't work out that way,” says Khan, whose first role was in Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! (1988) - which was chopped at the editing table.
Since then he has played a variety of characters, many of which he feels, were important milestones in his career. From Haasil where he played Ranvijay Singh, a character which got him the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role to Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool (2003) where he was pitted against stalwarts like Pankaj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Tabu. Pan Singh Tomar (2011) , a biopic grabbed eyeballs as did life in a Metro (2006) and Piku (2014), where he displayed his flair for comedy.
In Piku he felt the director was important as he was not affected by star presence. “All of us completely trusted him. It was collective trust that made it enjoyable. For me the discovery of Deepika (Padukone) as an actor was pleasing. I will always cherish those memories,” he says.
But then there are those movies which did not work too. “There are few which have given me some very special moments But then there are so many movies that I did and I believed in but they didn’t work. But that is what is mysterious about this industry. You can’t say what will work,” he says. He recalls that when he saw The Namesake (2006) for the first time, he never thought it would have so much of impact but when he saw it for the third time it threw up a completely different perspective. “There are few films that grow on you,” he says with a quiet confidence.
Khan has worked in different film industries - Hindi, Hollywood, British and has also acted in a Japanese web series and also one for Netflix. “This has helped me to expand my craft. It is an exposure as every director has a different sensibility and it affects your approach to the role. A person who is making a film for the regional audience is different from one who makes it for a national audience or a universal audience - all have different approaches and so that changes your approach,” says the actor, who has recieved the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award in 2011
But when one asks how much has the actor and the person changed with time, the otherwise articulate actor pauses and gives it a thought before answering. “The first and foremost thing about acting is that you have to reflect on yourself. It is a kind of meditation where you see yourself as a third person and objectively. Once you understand yourself, then you put this understanding to work. When you start reflecting on different stories, situations and yourself, you change.”
What gives him immense satisfaction is the way he connects with the audience. He says, “Acknowledgement is not just kya badhia acting ki hai but also the experience that you get. And the fact that through our own experience through stories, it is reaching out to people. And that is more precious -- this acknowledgment.” And that is what he continues to do - establish a connection.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar