Irrfan Khan had to re-shoot his scenes in 'Life of Pi', recalls biographer Aseem Chhabra

One of Bollywood's most iconic actors, Irrfan Khan passed away on April 29, 2020, at Kokilaben hospital in Mumbai. His death is mourned by the Indian film industry and condolences are being expressed to his grieving family. Many are also coming up with little tidbits and facts about Irrfan Khan's life, and one among them seems to be his biographer, Aseem Chhabra. The latter recalled how Hollywood actor, Tobey McGuire was removed from scenes of the movie Life of Pi and Irrfan Khan had to reshoot his entire portion.

Irrfan Khan had to reshoot his entire role from Life of Pi

Aseem Chhabra in his biography of Irrfan Khan called 'Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star' recalled an anecdote about the actor's experience on the sets of Life of Pi. Apparently, after the entire movie had been shot, director Ang Lee felt he needed to reshoot the scenes with Irrfan Khan. The latter himself had opened up about this incident with a daily portal. 

Image credit: Aseem Chhabra Instagram

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Irrfan Khan had said that Ang Lee felt Tobey McGuire's screen presence in Life of Pi was stronger than he needed for the character. The character is that of a struggling author and an established actor's presence might hinder that image for the audience. Hence, as Irrfan Khan reportedly revealed, Ang Lee brought in Rafe Spall for the role in Life of Pi replacing Tobey McGuire. 

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However, because of this, Irrfan Khan had to undergo the mammoth task of reshooting his entire role for Life of Pi. He also reportedly took the decision of shooting his entire character instead of just a few scenes where Tobey McGuire appeared with him. 

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The news of his sad demise was confirmed by his  team in a statement. It read:

“I trust, I have surrendered”; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and  his memorable actions on screen. It’s saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, “As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it”.

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