Almost quit acting, now a star: How an Irrfan Khan film saved Fahadh Faasil's career

Malayalam star Fahadh Faasil is one of the most sought-after actors in India at the moment. The actor will be seen reprising his role as SP Bhanwar Singh Shekawat in Pushpa: The Rule, which is set to release on August 15 later this year. While Fahadh has emerged as one of the most promising actors in the country, juggling between several pan-India films, not many know that at the beginning of his career, he quit acting and relocated to the US only to return to showbiz after getting inspired by Irrfan Khan.

How Irrfan got Fahadh back into acting after failed debut

In an old interview, Fahadh shared that he saw Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota in the US. The film was directed by Naseeruddin Shah and starred Irrfan in a pivotal role. Talking about the late Bollywood star, Fahadh shared, "This was the first time I saw him on screen. He did not look like an actor to me. Later I came to know that he had done some 20-25 films. I could not take my eyes off him. He looked so graceful. No one has ever made that kind of an impression on me. the way he was performing felt very honest to me."

Fahadh also said he hardly paid attention to the story as he was more interested in watching Irrfan perform onscreen.

Fahadh's moving tribute to Irrfan Khan

When Irrfan passed away on April 29, 2020, Fahadh penned a moving note for him and shared that he was the reason he became an actor. The Malayalam star expressed his dismay at never getting a chance to meet Irrfan, as he "owed his career" to the late Bollywood actor.

Calling Irrfan an actor who changed his life, he wrote in a part of his note, "I feel sorry for the writers and filmmakers who will experience a vacuum with this loss. We just didn’t have enough of him. The entire day went by today and I could not stop thinking about him. I feel obliged to him. I feel like I owe my career to him. I don’t think I would have ever come this far if I had not picked up that DVD and watched an actor who changed my life."