Zahid Khan

In one of his interviews, Irrfan Khan had said, "The biggest challenge in his career was his face. Initially his face seemed like on suited to a villain. Wherever he used to go to ask for work, the producers and directors would offer him the role of a villain.

For this reason he did many negative roles in the initial phase of his career. However, with his hard work and acting, prowess, he gained roles of the main charaters in a movie.’

Remembrance

This fine actor started with small budget films. Tigmanshu Dhulia who directed him in his film 'Paan Singh Tomar, happened to be his junior in the National School of Drama, gave him him major break.

The film was not only a big commercial success he also received the National Film Award for his acting. After Paan Singh Tomar, he performed in many hit film like Hindi Medium, Lunch Box, Chocolate,Gunday, Piku, Qarib Qarib Singlle, New York,  he left a deep and everlasting impression on the minds of the film lovers and critics with his films like In a Metro, Bill' etc.

Hollywood actor Tom Hanks once said, "Irrfan's eyes also act."

His expressive eyes added to his charming dialogue delivery. Spontaneity and natural acting was the hall mark of his acting. Watcvhing him on screen, the viewers felt as if ths role has been written for him.

Irrfan’s list of film is long. Some of the memorable ones are Maqbool, Haider, Madari',Saat Khoon Maaf, Paan Singh Tomar, Talvar, Rog, Ek Doctor Ki Maut etc.

Born on January 7, 1967, in a Nawab family of Tonk, a small town in Rajasthan, Irrfan Khan got interested in stage. He was influenced by his maternal uncle Dr. Sajid Nisar. He joined theater in Jaipur when he also started acting in plays. He performed many plays in Jaipur's famous theater auditorium 'Rabindra Manch'.

His first play was 'Jalte Badan'. Irrfan's addiction to acting, took him to the NSD. While he was in NSD, his father passed away leaving him to cope with financial problems.

At one point, he stopped getting money from home. With the help of a fellowship from NSD, he somehow managed to complete his course in 1987.

NSD refurbished acting skills of this Khan; taught him the nuances of actingd. During his NSD days Irfaan also acted in many plays.

He played many strong roles in Russian playwright Chingiz Amitov's play 'Ascent of Fujiyama', Maxim Gorky's Lower Depths, The Fan, Fighting Cock and Blue Horse on Red Grass etc. From the stage, he reached the television screen. In those days, the national channel 'Doordarshan' had just started and its dramas were very much liked across the country.

Irrfan tried his luck here and he was very successful in this. From lyricist-director Gulzar's serial Tahrir to 'Chandrakanta', 'Srikanth', 'Chanakya', 'Bharat Ek Khoj', 'Jai Bajrangbali', 'Banegi Apni Baat', 'Sara Jahan Hamara', 'Sparsh', he did many serials and won the applause of the audience and critics alike.

Who can forget the roles of Senapati Bhadrasal in 'Chanakya' and Badrinath and Somnath in Chandrakanta? In those days, Irrfan also played the role of Narsaiyya in the tele film Narsaiyya Ki Bawdi.

His passion was films and somehow he wanted to make his debut there.

However, he did not have to wait long for this. In the year 1988, director Meera Nair took Irrfan for a small role in his film Salaam Bombay. By the time the film was released, this role became even smaller. Due to which Irrfan was disappointed.

Despite this, his role was liked by both the audience and the film critics. The film was also nominated for the Oscar Award, which benefited Irrfan as well. Now he started getting small roles in films.

Irrfan had to wait for more than a decade to get central roles in films. In the year 2001, director Asif Kapadia's filmThe Warrior proved to be the turning point of his career.

He got tremendous recognition from this film. This film was also screened in international film festivals. Bollywood also noticed his international fame. Director Vishal Bhardwaj selected him for the central character of his film Maqbool. This film was released in the year 2003 and there was no looking back for Irrfan after that.

Irrfan got his performance iron among well-known actors like Pankaj Kapur, Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Piyush Mishra. In the year 2004,

Irrfan is one of the few Bollywood actors who worked in many Hollywood films. He was a part of Hollywood international super-duper hits like 'Amazing Spider-Man', 'Jurassic World', The Namesake, 'A Mighty Heart' and 'The Inferno'.

Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire in the year 2008 received eight Oscar Awards. In which his role was also discussed a lot. His role in the film Life of Pi, directed by Taiwanese director Ang Lee, also won several Academy Awards.

Irrfan received the Filmfare Awards for Haasil, Life in a Metro, Paan Singh Tomar and Hindi Medium.

In the year 2011, the Government of India honored Irrfan with the 'Padma Shri' award. Irrfan Khan spent the last two years of his life battling a dangerous disease called 'neuroendocrine tumor'. His attitude towards life was always positive.

Despite battling such a serious illness, he never lost his courage. It was due to his unmatched courage and spirit that in the year 2019, he returned to Mumbai after undergoing treatment from abroad to complete the shooting of the film English Medium.

This film was released in the beginning of the year 2020. When it seemed that he had overcome his illness. He has won the battle of life, that suddenly the news of his death on April 29, 2020 shocked everyone.

Irrfan Khan may have left us physically today, but he will always be alive in the hearts and minds of his fans with his impeccable performance.