Irrfan Khan was one of the few Indian stars to seamlessly transition from Bollywood to Hollywood, while breaking the stereotypical barriers reserved for brown people in the West with his unconventional acting skills.
From pivotal roles in big budget tentpoles like “Jurassic World”, “Inferno” and “The Amazing Spider-Man” to critically acclaimed and successful crossover dramas such as “The Namesake”, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Life of Pi”, Irrfan was India’s first and biggest export to Hollywood. And he did all this without making any clamour about invading the West, and instead let his work do the talking.
While promoting “Inferno”, actor Tom Hanks said he wants to be cool like Irrfan.
Here’s a look at some of his iconic work in the West
The Warrior (2001)
Directed by British filmmaker Asif Kapadia, the movie featured Irrfan as a warrior in feudal Rajasthan and chronicles his journey to give up the sword. The 2001 film won a BAFTA that year.
A Mighty Heart (2007)
In Michael Winterbottom’s “A Mighty Heart”, which narrates true story of the kidnap and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, Irrfan got on board for the role of a Pakistani intelligence officer known only as Captain, and impressed all with his skills.
* Inferno (2016)
In the thriller film, directed by Ron Howard, Irrfan is seen as Harry “The Provost” Sims, head of The Consortium, who is helping Zobrist in his mission to reduce the Earth’s growing population. It also features Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Omar Sy, Ben Foster and Sidse Babett Knudsen.
The Namesake (2006)
He collaborated with Mira Nair for the film based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri. The film narrates the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Irrfan and Tabu) as first-generation immigrants from trying to find a place in the US while raising their children.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning film was a game changer for Irrfan, and propelled him into the big league. In the film, he featured as a police inspector who gets caught up in the main storyline — about Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) who becomes a TV sensation after winning the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”.
Life Of Pi (2012)
The Ang Lee film is about an Indian man named “Pi” Patel, who is narrating his life story to a novelist. It’s about how at 16 he survives a shipwreck and is adrift in the ocean on a lifeboat with a tiger. He essayed the older Pi Patel in the adventure drama. The movie was a huge success both critically and commercially.
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
In the superhero film by Marc Webb, he was seen as a super scientist named Rajit Ratha. He featured alongside Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and Rhys Ifans and others.
Jurassic World (2015)
Irrfan joined Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the sci-fi film to essay the role of Simon Masrani, CEO of the Masrani Corporation and the owner of Jurassic World. It was a commercially successful project, and ensured more visibility for the actor in Hollywood.
Puzzle (2018)
The drama film directed by Marc Turtletaub follows the life of a stay-at-home mother Agnes who enters a puzzle building competition. Irrfan starred as the puzzle partner of Kelly Macdonald’s character Agnes. (IANS)
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