Irrfan Khan used to fly kites in between shots, says Tigmanshu Dhulia

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passed away in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, losing his battle with a rare form of cancer. Irrfan, who was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, is survived by his wife Sutapa and sons Babil and Ayan. Filmmaker and actor Tigmanshu Dhulia spoke about his times while shooting with Irrfan. Read to know more.

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Irrfan used to fly kites says Tigmanshu Dhulia

In an interview with a daily, Paan Singh Tomar director Tigmanshu Dhulia talked about the demise of his friend and actor Irrfan Khan. He said that Irrfan's passing away is a huge loss for the entire film fraternity, but he has lost a dear friend. The two were destined to be friends. Tigmanshu mentioned that he was 19 when he first met Irrfan at the National School of Drama, where former was a few years junior to latter. He stated that since then, Irrfan has played different roles in his life. Sometimes he was a pal, other times, an elder brother. There were times when the Life of Pi actor would push him to work harder, as a mentor.

Tigmanshu Dhulia disclosed that Irrfan Khan was a part of his first directorial venture in Mumbai, a show called Hum Bambai Nahin Jayenge for Business India TV (BITV). Shekhar Kapur was the creative head of the channel and asked him to direct the show. He reached out to Irrfan, who had come to Mumbai four years before him, and that was the beginning of their professional collaboration. The two worked on several serials for Star Bestsellers, and finally collaborated on Haasil (2003).

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Tigmanshu Dhulia said that Irrfan was a gentle human being who was so evolved in his ideas. He added that Irrfan was an outdoor guy who expressed concern for the environment. In fact, he used to love flying kites. Tigmanshu mentioned that whenever they needed time to prepare for a shot, they used to hand him a kite. "He would happily indulge in it until they were ready. He was a charming, happy-go-lucky guy," he said.

Tigmanshu Dhulia added that over the last few months, they could not speak regularly because Irrfan had stopped using his cell phone. So, he would keep in touch with his wife Sutapa. He visited the Piku actor at the hospital on Tuesday. Irrfan was unconscious but breathing. Tigmanshu stated that it was heart-wrenching to see him like that. Tigmanshu said that he is too numb and would take time to process Irrfan's loss. He added that he will miss a friend with whom he could have any discussion without the fear of being judged and also miss hearing his insightful views and taking his advice on matters.

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