While it’s not like we don’t talk about him but had Irrfan been the star that he is in any other country, we’d be celebrating him a bit more. Aseem Chhabra’s Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star not only celebrates one of the finest actors in the world today but also fills many gaps in the Irrfan story, and more importantly, offers an insight into what makes the thespian tick.
By the time Irrfan arrived with the success of Haasil (2003), he had been a part of the average viewer’s conscious minds thanks to television series such as Chandrakanta (1994) and Banegi Apni Baat (1995).
There had been small but stand-out roles in a few Indian films such as Salaam Bombay (1988), which was also his debut, Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1990), and Drishti (1990) as well before the so-called arrival of Irrfan in the early 2000s. It was not just the domestic audiences that were aware of Irrfan’s immense prowess, but the buzz generated by Asif Kapadia’s The Warrior (2001) made the West take notice as well.
It wouldn’t be wrong to suggest that Irrfan’s significance as an actor—who’d leave an indelible impression on cinema—originated from the West. In this aspect, Aseem Chhabra is ideally placed to decode Irrfan. Based out of New York for an extended period, Chhabra experienced the impact of Irrfan on the festival circuit first-hand and also witnessed his rise as a global phenomenon with The Warrior, A Mighty Heart and The Namesake, all released in 2007.
While reading Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star, it wouldn’t be surprising if you find yourself stopping ever so often and ponder if the medium has done enough justice to Irrfan’s vast talent. With films such as Paan Singh Tomar (2012), D-Day (2013), and Piku (2015), the trade could absolve itself, and with blockbusters such as Hindi Medium (2017)—the first Irrfan film to cross the Rs 100 crore-mark and collect over Rs 300 crore worldwide—he also managed to get ‘openings’ for future releases.
Moreover, there’s a flourishing global career, where after reading the book, you realise that Irrfan has refused some A-list films such as The Martian (2015) and Interstellar (2014). Yet there is more to Irrfan, and this is where Chhabra’s book shines.
Unlike most celebrated ‘method’ actors, Irrfan isn’t someone who is hell-bent on the technique but uses a lot more than the traditional method tools. The author speaks to nearly everyone—from old friends, National School of Drama colleagues, to directors and co-stars who played a role in the shaping of the Irrfan phenomenon, and comes up with an engaging account, which despite not having Irrfan’s own voice is intensely immersive as well. Chhabra did not want to push Irrfan for interviews owing to the latter’s ill health but that’s hardly a problem here.
By the end of the book, you get to see why unlike most other accomplished actors or even great ‘stars’, Irrfan rarely functions in a vacuum. Watching Irrfan on the screen is enough to know he is different, and this book gives the average viewer a chance to understand, to a high degree, what separates him from the rest of his ilk.