Join WhatsApp Channel
Irrfan Khan was an actor par excellence. It was his restraint and minimalism that marked every character that he essayed. He used his eyes to convey his emotions with effortless ease. His passing away on April 29, 2020, left a deep void in Hindi cinema.
The actor was also supposed to star in Border 2 director Anurag Singh’s film, a collaboration that could have been both crucial and memorable but however could not happen at that time.
The filmmaker recalled the time when pitched an idea to Khan and Tabu was supposed to be in the lead opposite him. In a recent interview, Singh, who had also directed Speed (2007) and many Punjabi films, revealed, “It was one of the first Hindi films that I had signed. This was 2015 or 2016. When Punjab 1984 released, at the same time, Ek Villain was released. That film was from Balaji and was a huge success. The music was also a hit. But in Punjab, their business was affected, because Punjab 1984 had also been released.”
“So, producer Ektaa R. Kapoor wanted to know who this filmmaker was because of whom her film got affected in Punjab. Her people reached out to me, because maybe we could have done something together. We met and discussed a few ideas. There was this mature love story, an idea that I had which she loved,” he noted.
He added, “I wrote the script of this cute, little film. We met Irrfan sir and he also loved it. I think his words were ‘Story acchi hai and I like your honesty. I’ll do the film.” I guess what he meant was I was not ‘filmi’. He wanted to do that film but for several reasons, financially things were not moving forward. I met Tabu ma’am as well. But it didn’t work out and kept on getting delayed. And by then I got the offer to do Kesari. I told Ekta I was going ahead. Meeting Irrfan Khan was a lovely experience. That script is still with her.”
Given Anurag Singh’s understanding of gravitas and human emotions, this could have been a love story for the ages. And Irrfan Khan and Tabu, the duo that always blazed the screen with their fiery persona and performances, could have added magic to the filmmaker’s vision.
But it was not to be. And it will be a tough call today to find the actor who can step into Tabu’s role.
