Irrfan Khan was an actor known for his work in Indian cinema, as well as in British and American movies. His extensive resume includes work on Indian historical dramas, along with Bollywood films. He earned numerous awards throughout his three-decade-long career.
Though he won accolades for his starring roles, some of Khan's supporting roles were also among his most memorable. The Guardian described his career as a valuable bridge between cultures and different traditions of cinema. His legacy is a strong reminder of the value of diversity in cinema. Here are 10 of his best roles, according to IMDb.
10 Bharat Ek Khoj (1988) (8.9)
Bharat Ek Khoj is a 53-episode historical drama that recounts India's history from its beginning to its independence from the British in 1947.
Khan starred in six episodes and played a variety of characters, including Saleem in "Separatism" and Michael Madhusudan Dutt in "Indigo Revolt". Though Bharat Ek Khoj originally aired in 1988, it re-aired on DD Bharati on May 27, 2013, to mark the anniversary of the death of Jawaharlal Nehru.
9 The Great Maratha (1994) (8.4)
In 1994's The Great Maratha, Irrfan Khan starred as Najib ad-Dawlah. The 47-episode show, which aired on DD National, is an Indian historical drama that follows the life of Mahadaji Shinde of the Maratha caste - an Indian statesman who lived in the middle of the 18th century. He was also the ruler of Gwalior in Northern India.
Irrfan Khan's role was that of a Mughal serviceman who later deserted for Ahmed Shah Abdali's cause. Khan appeared in every episode.
8 In Treatment (2008 - 2010) (8.3)
The show In Treatment, starring Gabriel Byrne, ran for three seasons. Byrne plays a psychotherapist, and the half-hour episodes are structured like therapy sessions. Therapist Paul Weston (Byrne) receives his own patients and also sees his own therapist throughout each season.
In season 3, Irrfan Khan plays a widower, Sunil, who recently emigrated from Calcutta to live with his son and daughter-in-law in the U.S. He is depressed due to his wife's death and finds it difficult to live with his daughter-in-law.
7 Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1990) (8.3)
In Ek Doctor Ki Maut, Dr. Dipanker Roy (Pankaj Kapur) discovers a vaccine for leprosy. Hoping to help his research, Amulya, a journalist played by Irrfan Khan, breaks the news to the media.
Unfortunately, Dr. Roy is vilified by health officials and his own superiors, who figure that if a vaccine exists, a doctor in the West would have already discovered it. His wife and Amulya, among very few others, stand up for Dr. Roy, even after Western doctors discover a similar vaccine.
6 Paan Singh Tomar (2012) (8.2)
Irrfan Khan starred as the Indian athlete turned outlaw, Paan Singh Tomar, in this film based on his life. The film was critically acclaimed and won several awards.
Khan's performance was praised, in particular, his dedication to the role. Paan Singh Tomar was a soldier and athlete in the Indian Army until he retired to settle family disputes. Eventually, he ended up forming a gang to fight a group that was targeting his family. Ultimately, Tomar was killed in a shootout with the police.
5 Talvar (2015) (8.2)
Irrfan Khan starred as Joint Director Ashwin Kumar of the CDI in this film, based on the 2008 Noida double murder case.
A young girl and her family's servant are both murdered on the same night, and different investigative teams have different biases and perspectives as to who the murderers are. Mainly the two parties question whether the girl's parents are guilty or not, and the uncertainly between investigators made the tension in this film shine.
4 Maqbool (2003) (8.1)
Irrfan Khan starred as Maqbool in this Mumbai reimagining of Macbeth. Maqbool works for Abba Ji (Pankaj Kapur) and is grateful for his role as his right-hand man. However, Maqbool's mistress, Nimmi (Tabu), who is also Abba Ji's wife, encourages his ambitions of leading the Mumbai underworld.
As in Shakespeare's play, the lovers succeed in killing Abba Ji, but feel immense guilt in doing so. This film received critical acclaim for how it skillfully adapted the story to a new setting.
3 Slumdog Millionaire (2008) (8.0)
Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an orphan from the Juhu slums of Mumbai, who ends up on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Irrfan Khan plays a police inspector. Since no one can figure out how a kid from the slums could know all the answers, Jamal is accused of cheating until the inspector hears the stories of how he knows everything, eventually considering them "bizarrely plausible". This film was well-received.
2 Life of Pi (2012) (7.9)
In this adaptation of Yann Martel's novel, Khan plays the adult Pi Patel, as he tells his story to the writer (Rafe Spall). Khan imbues the character with genuine feeling and his scenes are heartwarming.
As a teenager, Pi (Suraj Sharma) survives a journey across the ocean in the company of an adult Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Life of Pi won several awards, mainly for its special effects and Ang Lee's directing.
1 The Lunchbox (2013) (7.8)
Irrfan Khan starred in The Lunchbox, a story about friendship through a mistaken order that could only have taken place in India. Ila (Nimrat Kaur) sends a lunchbox to her husband's workplace through Mumbai's dabbawalas, a lunchbox pickup and delivery system.
Due to a mixup, it ends up being given to Saajan, an aging accountant played by Irrfan Khan. The two of them become friends through the notes they exchange via the lunchbox.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/2zuB3IT
0 Comments