8 Irrfan Khan films every movie buff must watch
What a run Irrfan Khan has been having! There was Piku earlier this year, and then Talvar, which has the critics raving. He also has a significant role in this week’s release Jazbaa, being billed as Aishwarya Rai’s comeback film. While the actor said in a recent interview that he’d love to shed his ‘intense’ tag and do romantic films, he has simply shone in those intense roles in off-mainstream films. Here are some we love:
Maqbool
Playing characters with dark traits comes easily to Irrfan Khan. He proved it again in Vishal Bhardwajs’ Maqbool, inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Naseeruddin Shah who was on the sets with him later said, ‘Irrfan Khan is one of our finest actors, if not the finest’.
The Namesake
The role of Ashoke Ganguli was perfect for Irrfan Khan in this Mira Nair film based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s acclaimed novel. He plays a first generation immigrant from Bengal to the US of A and captured all the hope and heartache that goes with that upheaval.
Slumdog Millionaire
Playing a police officer in the Oscar-awarded film, Irrfan Khan was part of the cast that won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Performance by a Cast. Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle said of the actor, ‘He has an instinctive way of finding the moral centre of any character.’
Paan Singh Tomar
Tigmanshu Dhulia’s biopic on the athlete-turned-dacoit won the National Award for Best Picture of 2012 and Irrfan Khan, who starred in the title role, was awarded Best Actor, for his portrayal of a seven-time national champion, who served in the Indian army and became a bandit after a land feud in his family.
Life in a… Metro
Being part of an ensemble cast is something Irrfan Khan has chosen to do often. What’s more, he holds his own and stands out, even in the midst of other powerhouse performances. In Anurag Basu’s well-crafted film about the highs and lows of living and loving in Mumbai, he plays Monty, an earnest, but socially inept man.
The Lunchbox
Who, but Irrfan Khan could play with such finesse, an embittered widower living a nondescript life? A botched dabba delivery changes his life and that of a housewife who then begins to communicate with him through handwritten notes. This one is a gem of an indie film.
Piku
This simple story by Shoojit Sircar, about a single, independent young woman, her cantankerous father and a road trip they make with Rana, played by Irrfan Khan, won over both audiences and critics. It also proved to be a showcase for Irrfan Khan’s comic timing.
Talvar
Talvar is the most talked-about film of the season. The film, based on the Aarushi Talwar murder case, has reopened the debate on whether justice was done at the end of the trial. Hogging a lot of the attention is Irrfan Khan’s role in the film as the investigating officer.
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