Tigmanshu Dhulia Says Irrfan Khan Wasn't First Choice For Haasil, Reveals One Thing The Actor Couldn't Do
Tigmanshu Dhulia, who made his directorial debut with ‘Haasil’, shares Irrfan was not the first choice for the film.
Actor-director Tigmanshu Dhulia made his directorial debut in Bollywood with the crime drama ‘Haasil’, starring Irrfan Khan. Irrfan Khan received the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role for his performance in the film. However, the director revealed that the actor was not the first choice for the role.
Tigmanshu Dhulia says Irrfan was not the first choice for Haasil
Talking about picking one of the lead characters, Dhulia told Mashable India, “Wo toh coincidence tha ki mujhe apni pehli film banani thi aur Irrfan dost tha, woh toh khair destiny thi uske piche koi chaal nahi thi. Sabse pehle main Irrfan ke paas gaya nahi tha, main sabse pehle Manoj Bajpayee ke paas gaya tha. Satya aa chuki thi aur Manoj star ho chuka tha. Humlog yaar the, dost the (It was just a coincidence that I was making my first film and Irrfan was a friend; that was destiny, there was no strategy behind it. Initially, I didn’t go to Irrfan; I first approached Manoj Bajpayee. 'Satya' had already released, and Manoj had become a star. We were friends)”.
"Ghaath ek film aayi thi, Manoj uski shooting kar raha tha. Main Manoj se milne gaya ki aisi ek picture hai, aur ye student leader hai iss tarah ka role hai. Manoj ne kaha main Villian nahi karunga, hero woh kar nahi sakta tha, Jimmy Shergill ka role. Fir maine Irrfan ko sunaya. Main selfish tha uss mamle mein, mujhko laga tha Manoj aa jayega, star hai, producer bhi phat se aa jayega (Manoj was shooting for Ghaath. I met him to discuss a project about a student leader. Manoj said he didn't want to play the villain or the hero, as that role was for Jimmy Shergill. Then I talked to Irrfan. I thought Manoj would say yes since he was a star, and that the producer would quickly get involved)” he added.
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Tigmanshu Dhulia shares that one thing Irrfan couldn’t do as an actor
When asked about what fans might not know about Irrfan Khan, Tigmanshu Dhulia said he could play any role but couldn’t dance.
“Irrfan sab kuch kar sakta tha except dance karne ke. Jo regular Hindi filmon ke hero mein wo dancing aur singing wali cheez hoti thi, usko chodh kar ke Irrfan har role kar sakta tha under the sun. Actor ko thoda positive hona hi chahiye, niraas nahi ho sakta actor aur Irrfan mein raas bhara hua tha. Isiliye woh bohot hi live actor tha, magic karta tha wo. Aap jab uski performance dekhte ho toh lagta hai aisa hi toh hota hai life mein. Ye ho jaye aapka connection audience ke saath perfect ban jata hai. Woh acheive karne ke liye actor ko andar se purity honi chahiye (Irrfan could do everything except dance. Unlike typical Hindi film heroes who dance and sing, he could take on any role. An actor needs to be positive and not pessimistic, and Irrfan was full of life. That’s why he was such a lively actor; he created magic. Watching his performance feels like real life. This connection with the audience becomes perfect, and to achieve that, an actor needs to have inner purity),” Dhulia said.
Irrfan Khan passed away at a Mumbai hospital on April 29, 2020, after a long battle with neuroendocrine tumor.
Dhulia also remembered his late friend, saying Irrfan's death felt like losing a vital resource. He said, “Irrfan mere liye ek facility tha, mere liye ek tool, mere kaam karne ki sahuliyat tha woh. Wo khatam ho gayi. Kyuki woh hota tha toh meri writing mein ek ajeeb sharpness ho jaati thi. Mujhe maalum hota tha ki ye Irrfan kar payega. Koi acha actor ayega, hain bhi kuch actors aas paas humare par woh mere dost nahi hai na (Irrfan was a resource for me; he was a tool that made my work easier. That has come to an end. When he was around, my writing had a unique sharpness because I knew he could bring it to life. There are good actors available, and some are around us, but they aren't my friends).”
Irrfan Khan was last seen in the 2020 film ‘Angrezi Medium’. He is survived by his wife, Sutapa Sikdar, and their two sons, Babil and Ayan.