The versatile star Irrfan Khan has bid final goodbye to the world leaving all of us perplexed and sad because it is pretty hard to believe that the actor who enticed us with his acting skills and flawless performances is not with us. There is no denying the fact that Irrfan’s health was a concern for everyone but there was a sense of positivity that he will be fine one day as he was just into his 50s.
Nobody can change the reality of today but still we will like to share some interesting facts about Irrfan Khan with you:
1. His real name:
Irrfan Khan was basically from Jaipur, Rajasthan, and his real name was Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan.
2. Wanted to become a cricketer:
Irrfan may have worked not just in Hindi but in British and American movies as well but you will be surprised to know that he didn’t want to become an actor and instead, he wished to pursue cricket as his career.
3. Start of acting journey:
Irrfan’s parents were not happy with his decision of becoming a cricketer and it was only after he got a scholarship in National School Drama that his journey in acting started.
4. His first job in Mumbai:
He faced many struggles and hardships before getting successful as an actor. He worked as an air conditioner mechanic to support himself when he came to Mumbai and this was his first job in the city.
5. His visit to Rajesh Khanna’s house:
It is not confirmed but it is being said that one of the first houses that he visited as an air conditioner mechanic was of superstar Rajesh Khanna.
6. Debut in Salaam Bombay:
Irrfan made his debut in Bollywood in 1988 with the movie Salaam Bombay which was written and directed by Mira Nair. At that time, Irrfan was in the final year of his NSD course and the film was also nominated for the Academy Awards.
7. The extra R in his name:
It is quite normal for the Bollywood celebs to add extra alphabets in their names as per the demand of numerology; nevertheless, the extra R in Irrfan’s name is not because of numerology but for the fact that Irrfan liked the sound that was generated by adding an extra R.
8. Wanted to quit acting:
There was a time when Irrfan Khan wanted to quit acting as he was mostly getting work in TV serials and nothing good was happening in movies for him. However, then he got the chance of working in Asif Kapadia directed movie “The Warrior” (2001) which increased his popularity to a great extent and after that, he gave many memorable acting performances in different flicks.
9. His family:
Irrfan was married to Sutapa Sikdar, whom he knew from the days of NSD. The couple got blessed with two kids – Babil and Ayan.
10. Awards & Recognitions:
Irrfan Khan has received many awards for the wonderful work that he has done including one National Film Award, Four Filmfare Awards and one Asian Film Award. In 2011, he was also honored with the fourth highest civilian award of India, Padma Shri.
11. Said NO to Christopher Nolan:
It is quite hard to believe that an actor can refuse to work with Christopher Nolan but Irrfan did this when he was approached for a good role in “Interstellar” as he was already busy with “The Lunchbox” and “D-Day”.
12. His wish for his mother:
He wished to gift his mother a suitcase full of cash, something which we all must have seen in flicks. Irrfan’s mother took her last breath just 3 days ago and Irrfan was not even able to attend her last rites.
RIP legend! The cinema world has lost a gem today!