Late Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan left for his heavenly abode on April 29, 2020, after a prolonged period of battling with neuroendocrine cancer. Even after three years of his death, Irrfan’s films are still cherished by the masses, owing to his versatile acting and super-expressive eyes. From some out-of-the-box projects like Maqbool, Namesake, Piku, Paan Singh Tomar and English Medium Irrfan also made his presence felt in Hollywood with films including Slumdog Millionaire, Life Of Pi, and The Amazing Spider-Man. On Irrfan’s 3rd death anniversary today, let’s have a look back at one small anecdote from the early days of his showbiz career.
Before marking his foray into films, Irrfan worked in numerous television shows to run his family and make a living. One of his most popular stints in the entertainment world was the 1994 soap opera Chandrakanta. While Irrfan initially played the role of Badrinath, he was later roped in as Badrinath’s twin brother Somnath, having to enact dual roles.
In an interview earlier in 2017, Irrfan opened up on how he was once ridiculed by Chandrakanta’s director because he was unsure about his character’s future on whether his role as Badrinath will prove to be important in the show. Recalling his shooting days, the Life of Pi actor shared that he used to execute only 4-5 lines every episode, having limited screen time. Overcome by confusion, he hence questioned the director, “Is it going to keep continuing like this or is there anything better ahead for Badrinath?”
The director whom Irrfan shared had a handkerchief tied around his head and was chewing a betel leaf gave a funny look to him and soon called upon the entire filming team. Mocking Irrfan in front of everyone, the director taunted him by asking the crew whether Irrfan thought of himself as Bollywood star Dharmendra. Embarrassed at the words, Irrfa was forced to remain quiet.
“I just didn’t know what to say. I asked him to tell me what my role is, and he is asking me if I am Dharmendra and that I want to know the role,” recounted Irrfan back in 2017. But over time, their equation changed for the better. When Irrfan got bored of playing Badrinath, he asked the director to kill his character, which the director followed. After 3-4 months Chandrakanta’s director once again called Irrfan offering him the role of Somnath, Badrinath’s twin.
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