“My mother always used to say; sometimes the wrong train takes you to the right place.”
This simple dialogue of Nawaz-ud-Din Siddiqui in the movie ‘The Lunch Box’ actually has a deep meaning. No matter how much man plans, he cannot be tied to coincidences and sometimes they become the driving force of our lives. Like in the movie ‘The Lunch Box’, a tiffin accidentally reaches Irrfan Khan, and then starts a captivating story, a movie which can make Bollywood’s hall of fame any day.
Born in Jaipur in 1966, Irrfan Khan caught the right train, but the box was wrong and interestingly, through the same box he gained access not only to Bollywood, but also to international cinema, and to the world. When Shah Rukh Khan in condolence tweeted on his death, he remembered him as the greatest actor of his era. But was he really unrivaled?
Irrfan khan opened his eyes in a small city of Tonk in the state of Rajasitan. His interest in acting caught fire when someone said; his features resemble that of Mithan Chakraborty. Well, in those days Mithan was quite a name in the industry.
When this young man, came to the cinema, it was Naser-ud-din Shah who impressed him the most. However, unlike Mithan and Naseer-ud-Din Shah, he chose a different path or perhaps this was the decision of destiny.
It was Irrfan Khan who, a few decades later, created astonishing acceptance among commercial cinema audiences for films depicting the realities of life and largely bridged the gap between ‘superstars’ and ‘actors’.
He was a representative of those actors who were neither domineering like Salman Khan nor heart-throbs like Shahrukh Khan, but were eager to prove their mettle. Before Irrfan Khan, these actors were limited to low budget films, or even if they appeared in commercial films, their roles were limited in scope. But Irrfan’s art was so powerful that it won the hearts of the audience and even the big banner film producers could not stop themselves from being attracted to his craft.
While his film ‘Talwar’, which was made at a cost of Rs 150 million, was a hit with a business of Rs 300 million, on the other hand, ‘Piku’ and ‘Hindi Medium’ reached the ‘100 Crore Club’ with a magical leap. While Hindi Medium garnered international acclaim, it also shocked film pundits by causing a stir at the Chinese box office. Irrfan Khan’s last film was a sequel to the same film, in the promotion of which we heard his cancer-fighting voice for the last time.
So guys, the story is that with the access to Hollywood, this actor achieved a stature that despite the presence of Khans in Bollywood, for the first time serious actors also got the status of ‘star’ and their movies began to be seen on cinema screens by buying tickets instead of laptops.
Today when the films of hardworking actors like Raj Kumar Rao and Ayush Mann, in which content is of special importance, are easily becoming part of the ‘100 Crore’ club, and behind it is Irfan Khan’s constant hard work and long struggle. But perhaps this effort would have been in vain if he had not stepped in the box of commercial cinema.
It is only the commercial cinema under the shadow or parallel art cinema can flourish. In a successful film industry, where Karan Johar and Raj Kumar Hirani are present, Vishal Bhardwaj and Anurag Kashyap have the opportunity to present their unique work to the audience. Irrfan’s irreplaceable acting would hardly have been accepted if he had not played minor roles in ordinary commercial films, because his dreams were big, because he played these trivial roles wholeheartedly and thus gradually, it reached the hearts of moviegoers and encouraged producers to invest Rs 10-15 crores on art films.
Irrfan Khan, who started his career in 1988, initially acted in films which gave him acceptance in the league of small or supporting roles, but does not promise wealth and fame. However, after 2000, when we saw him in traditional but commercial films like Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Kasur’ and Gunnah, he was first identified as an actor who was suitable for minor roles.
Anyhow, a man has to make living for that initially superficial, even stupid kind of roles has to be accepted in the film industry. While we laud Irrfan for ‘Maqbool’, ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, Qarib Qarib Single, he also appeared in other films like ‘Dhund’ at the beginning of his career. He played negative roles. However, whether it was ‘Supari’ or ‘Aan’, he made his presence felt.
Released in 2003, Maqbool did well, but it was not very successful at the box office. In 2005, Irrfan Khan had his first experience as a lead in small budget film ‘Rog’. While he appeared in a standard film like ‘The Namesake’ in 2006, we also saw him in a traditional film like ‘The killer’ with Imran Hashmi. Despite doing ‘Mighty Heart’, he acted in films like ‘Sunday’ and ‘Gunday’, the posters of which did not feel the need to give him a place.
But Irrfan Khan did not get off the train’s box. He continued to work in traditional commercial films. For this reason, a well-known critic called him an “overrated” actor in Karan Johar’s program, which is unnecessarily exaggerated.
And maybe to some extent it was correct, Irrfan had impressed the audience with his enchanting impressions and flaw-less dialogue deliver, but he could change his tone only when he got decent directors. After the everlasting success of ‘Aashiqui’, Rahul Roy was asked to play the same kind of characters as well. The same problem was faced by Nawaz-ud-Din Siddiqui after the ‘Gang of Wasipur’, reason commercial cinema’s requirements. However, Irfan and Nawaz-ud-Din were lucky compared to Rahul Ray. Then those actors were even better too.
In 2012, Irrfan began to reap the fruits of his struggle. Pan Singh Tomar, Life of Pi and The Amazing Spider-Man were released in the same year. The later story is part of history. The man, who could not afford ticket for The Jurassic Park, appeared in the same franchise in 2015.
Today, I wonder if Irrfan Khan had not stepped in the box of commercial cinema and had remained stuck with art cinema, would he have been credited with the incredible films that drove masses crazy, garnered millions at the box office and after his tragic death, forced everyone from Amitabh Bachan to Rajinikanth to bow their heads in praise.
Today, Irfan does not need former suffixes like King, Perfectionist or Bhai Jan. His constant hard work, struggle and flexibility (the flexibility he showed in his selection of traditional films) made him first actor in the modern history of Bollywood to act as a bridge between commercial and art cinema. And then in the last years of his life, his struggles with the disease, his feelings, which reached us through the words floating from his heart, gave him a mythical status.
So sometimes the wrong train gets to the right place. Irrfan had reached the right place and he had to go further. Beyond the stars, and he was on a journey with a bundle of dreams, (in his own words) the ticket collector patted his back and said: “Your station has arrived, get off.”
Read Also: Irrfan Khan Dies at 54
