Irrfan Khan Immersed Himself Completely For Dacoit Role In Paan Singh Tomar, Visited Chambal

Irrfan Khan and Tigmanshu Dhulia have given several hit films to Bollywood and among them was Paan Singh Tomar. The director was speaking at a session on the first day of a retrospective on Irrfan, being held by not-for-profit organisation G5A here, when he recalled how often the late actor would get stressed regarding the projects.

Tigmanshu said Irrfan gave his best irrespective of whether it was a niche or commercial film and shared how the late actor prepared for his role in Paan Singh Tomar.

Irrfan Khan immersed himself in Paan Singh Tomar

The director revealed that for the role of Paan Singh Tomar, Irrfan interacted with the cops, spent time with villagers and imbibed a lot of things. "He had that sense that this film (Paan Singh Tomar) is important. He went out of the way, spent time with villagers, interacted with cops, went to the Chambal river, and imbibed a lot of things," the director said.

Earlier in an interview, Irrfan called the experience of working for Paan Singh Tomar "the most physically and mentally demanding film of my career". He trained rigorously with steeplechase coaches, even breaking his ankle at one point during the filming.

More about Paan Singh Tomar

It was a biographical film about Paan Singh Tomar, a soldier in the Indian Army and seven-time national steeplechase champion, who later becomes one of the most feared dacoits in Chambal Valley after his retirement. The film, which was made on a shoestring budget of ₹45 million, was a hit at the box office, with a worldwide gross of ₹201.80 million. The film won Best Feature and Best Actor at the 60th National Film Awards. Apart from Irrfan Khan, the film also starred Mahie Gill, Vipin Sharma and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the supporting cast.