Irrfan Khan- The Silent Superstar

He doesn’t throw his weight around, does not drum up PR Blitzkriegs about himself and is not hungry to see his name in the headlines every morning. But silently, slowly, without drawing too much attention to himself, Irrfan Khan has become an industry unto himself – Part Mainstream, Part Commercial, Always Exemplary.

- Arnesh Ghose

I have seen every Irrfan Khan film, but when I sit down to think about him, it will always be his character Roohdar’s entry sequence in Haider that comes to mind. That character, the ambiguous manifestation of Haider’s father’s spirit (Bhardwaj’s cinematic device for Hamlet’s father’s ghost) holds true for Khan’s presence in the movie industry as well. You may not see him all the time, but he is there - a towering presence with an enviable filmography and performances that deserve reverence. Even when he jovially participates in AIB videos for movie promotions, there is a sense of honesty in his performance that makes it believable and bearable.

Even though he debuted in 1988 in Salaam Bombay!, it was only after Haasil and Maqbool released in 2003 that Khan was noticed. After a string of assorted (and forgettable films), he delivered quite a bipolar year in 2007, with the jackassery of Monty in Life in a…Metro on the one hand, and the sombre pathos of Ashok in The Namesake in the other. Life in a…Metro came as a surprise for the audience, because who would have thought that Khan would be the comic breath of fresh air in a film? Till then, all his film choices had been dark, complex and grimy. In Life in a…Metro, he was fresh and funny, human and connectable. The same can be said about Ashok. Since his debut, Khan had always played characters that were fringe elements, stirring only in the dark and behind shadows. While they were exciting – Haasil, Maqbool and The Warrior will forever be masterclasses in acting – it was in 2007 that Khan acquired a quality that every mainstream actor craves for – likeability.