Unconventional is his other name, breaking rules and carving his own path with no godfather in Bollywood, Irrfan Khan is an example of par excellence. He might not be like our usual Khans but that’s exactly what makes him one of the most talented actors, person, and a global Indian.
While Indian cinema can be loud and glossy with things that literally makes no sense, Irrfan Khan brought back that subtleness that often goes missing in cinemas. He is undisputedly one of the finest actors in the industry who brings the real to reel.
Describing Irrfan’s acting can be a tedious task, I bet there is hardly anyone who can attribute what this actor is in just a few words. He is difficult to analyse or describe, so just let settle with that he is the king of method and good acting.
(c) Instagram/ Irrfan Khan
As the actor turns 51 today, we bring you 17 lesser known facts about the actor that proves he is the story of immense hard work, luck, and colossal talent.
1. Acting Happened To Him By Chance
He became an actor out of pure luck. He always wanted to be a cricketer but his parents disapproved of it. Out of sheer luck, he was offered a scholarship to attend NSD (National School of Drama) and to get in, he lied about having past experience in theatre. Well, a lie that’s said for good ain’t a lie after all.
2. Real Name
Irrfan Khan real name is Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan. The actor didn’t like how long his name was and brought it down to Irrfan, he also added an extra ‘r’ in his name. Apparently, he likes the sound of an extra ‘r’ in his name. So there is no numerology connection here!
3. The Royal Connection
Hailing from a village named Tonk in Jaipur. The actor comes from a zamindar family which has some royal connection and has two siblings. His father always wanted him to join his family business and we are so glad he didn’t.
Are you coming ? #lifeiswaiting @qqsthefilm pic by @omkar.kocharekar
4. How He Got ‘Salaam Bombay’
When Mira Nair chose him for ‘Salaam Bombay’, the actor was in the final year at NSD. In fact, his role was cut short because of his tall height.
5. He Wanted To Give Up Acting
Between 1994-1998, the actor worked in a lot of TV shows. The monotonous work bored him so much that he decided to quit acting. If it wasn’t for Asif Kapadia’s ‘Warrior’, he would have left acting a long time ago. Thank god, he didn’t…we just have a handful of good actors in Bollywood anyway.
6. He Is Quite Tall
Not many know this, but Irrfan is as tall as Amitabh Bachchan. Yes, he is At 6 feet, 1 inch.
There are more life forms in a handful of forest soil than there are people on the planet. Credit :Sabine Cattaneo #wondering #locarnofilmfestival2017 #animals #Peterwohlleben #thehiddenlifeoftrees #forest #treescommunicate
7. The Indian Film That Got A TFCA Is His
His critically acclaimed film ‘Lunch Box’ is the only Indian movie till date to have got a TFCA – Toronto Film Critics Association Award. Now that’s totally something to be proud of!
8. He Said No To Christopher Nolan
The actor turned down a big role in ‘Interstellar’ because he was required to stay in the USA for four months and Irrfan was already committed to ‘Lunch Box’ and ‘D-Day’ at that time. We wonder if any other actors would have done the same thing if they were offered a Christopher Nolan film?
9. His One True Wish
He also wishes to gift his mother a suitcase full of cash. How filmy is that? But we hope his wish comes true!
Searching for love through a crack #songofthescorpions #lovestory #anupsingh #GolshiftehFarahani #locarno
10. His Moment With Julia Roberts
It happened that Julia Roberts especially stopped outside Kodak Theatre where Oscars were being held just to compliment Irrfan for his acting in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
11. His Name Is Similar To A Terror Suspect!
Poor chap has been detained twice at Los Angeles Airport just because his name is similar to a terror suspect. And Shakespeare said ‘What there is in the name?’
12. Made His Writer Rewrite Script A Dozen Times
He is very particular about his script and reads a lot to understand his role. Such is his dedication that his writer-wife Supata Sikdar had to rewrite some episodes of ‘Banegi Apni Baat’ a dozen times. He is difficult to please we must say!
(c) architecturaldigest
13. Meeting His Lady Love
He met the love of his life Supata Sikdar in acting school and has two amazing kids Babil and Aryan with her.
14. The Father-Son Joke
Irrfan never enjoyed eating meat and disliked hunting even though he was born in a Pathan family. Hence his father often used to tease him saying, ‘he is a Brahmin born in a Pathan family’.
15. His True Inspiration
During his struggling days to motivate himself he used to take inspiration from actors like Manoj Kumar and Naseeruddin Shah.
16. The Global Indian
Irrfan is a global Indian who made his mark in Hollywood way before Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone took that road. He has appeared in more than 5 Hollywood movies including ‘The Amazing Spiderman’, ‘Life of Pi’, ‘Jurassic World’, to name some.
First look #QareebQareebSinglle
The actor is the sheer example of making it big without any support in the industry. For having worked in the tinsel town for almost three decades now, he is one of the most skilled, respected and exceptional actors. On the work front, the actor already has some interesting Bollywood projects and also is working on a Hollywood film named ‘Puzzle’, which will be a part of Sundance festival’s world premiere.
Irrfan is a true inspiration and on this special day, we wish the actor all the happiness and success.