In a career spanning nearly 40 years, Irrfan Khan proved himself to be one of the greatest talents that graced the Indian silver screen.
The late star started off at a time when an artistic approach towards movie-making and performing, wasn’t as mainstream as it became in the recent years, and the masses continued to chase vanity and extravagance on celluloid.
Yet, the multiple-award winning star continued to survive entirely based on his raw and unfiltered talent, showing us the various facets of what it means to be human.
His relatable and realistic characters and performances, even when he played an athlete-turned-dacoit in his masterful work in ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, made him a class above the rest and the cream of the crop.
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Before his untimely passing in 2020, Irrfan’s star was already placed among the all-time greats of Indian cinema. And that’s how, we remember him with 10 of his career-best performances.
Here’s the list:
10) Life In A… Metro
Even in an ensemble cast, consisting of multiple parallel stories – loosely inspired from Hollywood’s classic, ‘The Apartment’, Irrfan Khan and Konkona Sen Sharma were two performers that made their mark with audiences and critics alike. The movie might look a bit dated now, as mid 2000’s was an era when mainstream Hindi cinema was still discovering it’s new ways, it’s still filled with some stellar performances, one of which is Mr. Khan’s.
9) Hindi Medium
Although there were a lot of mainstream clichés in this box-office award-sweeping juggernaut, it was one of the most remembered projects in Irrfan Khan’s career – particularly because of it’s mass-appeal. And that is precisely why it finds a place in this list. The movie that got him his first mainstream Filmfare ‘Best Actor’ award, only because of it his biggest commercial success.
8) Billu
Even in a somewhat over-the-top and unrealistic Priyadarshan comedy like this, Irrfan managed to stand out with his performance. The movie might be a far-cry from the kind of stuff he mostly associated with in his illustrious career, but Billu was one of those movies, along side ‘Hindi Medium’, in his career, which brought mainstream attention and mass-acceptance to his impeccable craft.
7) Life Of Pi
With a minimalist supporting role, in a movie which mostly revolved around wild animals and a boy’s will to survive in the midst of an ocean, Irrfan packed the story with power and soul. It was mostly just dialogue delivery and not much action on his part, and yet every word that came out of his mouth, could also be explored in the depth of his eyes. Few actors have that kind of gift.
6) Haasil
Tigmanshu Dhulia’s critically acclaimed drama from 2003, which revolves around love and relationships, in the midst of campus politics. This took place at a time when new-age Hindi cinema was still evolving, and yet Irrfan proved with his performance, how he was way ahead of his time.
5) The Lunch Box
A subtle, yet heart-rendering performance from Khan – which allows him to do most with his eyes, without saying much. A calm serenading romantic drama about a lonely middle-aged man, and his unexpected friendship with a troubled married woman. Touching and praise-worthy.
4) The Namesake
This Mira Nair directed family drama, based on Jhoompa Lehri’s best-selling novel – explores the lives of a conventional and conservative Indian couple, who move out of the country after marriage for the big ‘American dream.’ Beautifully showcasing the generational gaps and the struggles of being parents to intellectually and culturally distant kids, the movie touched a resounding chord with many and it was mostly because of masterful work from both Tabu and Irrfan.
3) Maqbool
An unforgettable performance in Vishal Bhardwaj’s cinematic masterpiece inspired from Shakespeare’s Macbeth. The film features a stellar cast of powerhouse performers, including Tabu, Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapoor – and yet, Irrfan manages to make his brute, raw talent shine above the rest.
2) Talvar
A natural and believable performance in a very challenging role, inspired from the real-life incident of Aarushi Murder. Despite the difficulty of the subject, Irffan manages to convince the viewers in the mind-boggling plot of the movie. One of her most under-rated performances in one of the most over-looked cinematic gems of recent years.
1) Paan Singh Tomar
One of the greatest biopics curated in recent years. The movie is based on the astonshing life of athlete-turned-dacoit, Paan Singh Tomar and Irrfan’s gut-wrenching and heart-breaking portrayal is what makes it great, for the most part. A movie that utilized his talents, thoroughly – turning it into one of the best big-screen performances in recent cinema.
Honourable mention to ‘English Medium’ – his last-released movie, that hit the theatres posthumously.