Back to life, or something like it

The only way director Anup Singh could come to terms with the passing of actor Irrfan Khan was by writing a book about the man who had been his muse

- Dinesh Raheja

Director Anup Singh's book, Irrfan: Dialogues with The Wind, is an impressionistic narrative based on his interactions with the internationally acclaimed actor, Irrfan Khan.

Coming to terms with his grief over Irrfan's death proved difficult for 60-year-old Anup, who had forged a close bond with the actor while directing him in two lauded films, Qissa and The Song of Scorpions. But this emotional turmoil eventually led to Singh penning a book on the actor.

"Initially, I tried very hard to block out Irrfan's passing and not think about it, it was just too painful," Singh reminisces. “But I was flooded with memories. I would be in a car with my wife and a gentle curve on the road would make me think of one of Irrfan's gestures. Sometimes, when I closed the door of my house at night, it would make a bass creak... and it would remind me of the sound of Irrfan's voice."

While this sense of Irrfan's continued presence in his life consoled Anup, it also made him question its import. "I realised that perhaps he was there because there was a sense of something incomplete in our work. We had been planning at least five or six more films together. That is why I started writing the book."

Fund of trust