Bollywood lost a star today; an extraordinaire actor, Irrfan Khan, whose shoes none can fill. The actor who could seamlessly transition from roles like a bandit to a common man, a loving father, even a top athlete – from now on, will live only through films.
Here are some of the actor's top hits you can start watching if you miss him too.
On Netflix
This 2013 film is a romantic movie, but unlike the generic one about youngsters singing love ballads. Saajan Fernandes is a lonely man on the verge of retirement and his role is essayed by Irrfan Khan. His office days are not over yet, as an accidental lunchbox delivery changes his life.
"I long to explore romance in different ways. I don't often get that chance. This concept of love, we misuse the term. Love is a pure connection, a strong longing," the actor had said in an interview to The Star in 2014, according to IANS.
Haider is a modern-day adaptation of the Shakespearean drama ‘Hamlet’. The film is about a poet who returns to a violent insurgency-ridden Kashmir looking for his father. Directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, Haider is the third installment in his Shakespearean trilogy after ‘Maqbool’ and ‘Omkara’.
As for Irrfan Khan’s role in the film – well, it should rather stay a surprise for viewers.
Irrfan brought to life the story of late Paan Singh Tomar, an athlete who late became a bandit. To become the ‘Bandit King’ of the Chambal Valley, the veteran actor had to do two months of physical training from a Delhi-based national-level coach on Steeplechase. For the hardwork in the film helmed by Tigmanchu Dhulia, he won the National award for Best Actor in 2013.
Directed by Anurag Basu, the movie is set in Mumbai and surrounds the lives of nine people. Basu who worked with Khan in their early TV days and collaborated on ‘Life...in a Metro’ conveyed his condolences, “It was a long battle and he fought it alone away from everyone.”
Here are the other movies that you can check out on Netflix.
On Hotstar
Often referred to as Vishal Bharadwaj’s magnum opus, the 2004 crime drama about passion and power is the first installment of Vishal Bhardwaj’s Shakespearean trilogy. Maqbool, an adaptation of the play ‘Macbeth’, won Vishal international acclaim and the hearts of people.
All the three movies have dark and criminal undertones throughout, making it easily stand out each passing year as benchmark adaptations.
Playing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are Irrfan Khan and Tabu, as the right-hand man of an ageing don, and the wife.
This is a spin off to the 2017 film ‘Hindi Medium’. One of his last films to release just before the COVID-19 lockdown, it is a story of a low-key sweet shop owner and a single father who sets on a path to fulfill his daughter’s London dream.
On Prime
South Indian actor Dulquer Salmaan’s Bollywood debut, Karwaan, is a 2018 film about a fun road trip to Kochi starring Irrfan Khan and Mithila Palekar.
This 2017 comedy-drama, Irrfan played a rich entrepreneur who goes above and beyond to get his child into an English-medium school.
Other movies that you can look out for are Salaam Bombay and Qissa which are freely available on YouTube.
And for 'Piku' or 'Life of Pi' you can pay and watch on YouTube movies.