Tigmanshu Dhulia Recalls Working Experience With Irrfan Khan, Says Actors Today Are Copying Him

Tigmanshu Dhulia recently reflected on his time working with Irrfan Khan on the sets of Pan Singh Tomar. The director also added that most of the actors in the film industry today are imitating his long-time friend and collaborator's style of acting. The two worked together in films like Haasil, Paan Singh Tomar, and Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns. 

Tigmanshu Dhulia remembers Irrfan Khan 

Tigmanshu first crossed paths with Irrfan at Delhi's National School of Drama in the late 1980s. Speaking at a session on the first day of a retrospective on the Piku star, the filmmaker said, “He was from drama school, so the approach for a role, the skill and all that was there. Today, a lot of actors are acting by watching other actors. Most of them are copying Irrfan Khan, taking pauses and all. He gave a lot of importance to his work. That's why he was different and good.'' 

Irrfan died at the age of 54 on April 29, 2020, following his battle with a rare form of cancer. Tigmanshu said the late actor would often get stressed about how to approach his work.

''He would get troubled a lot about his roles, his name should have been 'Pareshan' Khan. He would keep smoking, thinking about the role, especially for the film which he thought was important for him. He would go beyond the script and think,'' he added.

Citing the examples of Paan Singh Tomar and Sanjay Gupta's Jazbaa, Tigmanshu said Irrfan gave his best irrespective of whether it was a niche or commercial film. Critically-acclaimed Paan Singh Tomar won two National Awards: best actor honour for Irrfan for his role of the titular decorated steeplechase champion-turned-dacoit and best feature film honour for Tigmanshu.

Tigmanshu Dhulia, Irrfan Khan’s shelved projects 

The filmmaker also shared that he and Irrfan collaborated on two more films titled The Killing of a Porn Filmmaker and Ghulami, but both got shelved.

Tigmanshu also alleged that the production banner UTV Motion Pictures delayed the theatrical release of Paan Singh Tomar. As he waited for the film to see the light of day, he said he chose to make the 2011 thriller drama Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster, which turned out to be a hit.

(with inputs from PTI)