, who prefers to be
called just Irrfan, is excited about his role in Apna Aas-maan
directed by Kaushik Roy, an ad film-maker, who is
making his debut in feature films.
"As an actor you get to play roles which are as
challenging as the one I am playing in Apna Aaasmaan very
rarely. The film drives home the message that parents should
realize what the strengths of their children are and not push them
to do what they would have liked to do when they were children.
"You read 10 to 20 scripts a day, but there are
very few that make you want to read to the end. Kaushik’s script
just stayed with me even after I read it the first time. Though I
had no idea about what he had done earlier as an ad filmmaker, I
decided to say yes to him, because his script made me trust him as
a filmmaker. I liked the honesty of the script and positivity of
my role".
In Apna Aasmaan, Khan plays Ravi, a man
who shares a strained relationship with his wife Pad-mini (played
by Shobhana from the South Indian film industry) due to
their teenage son Buddhi’s intellectual handicap. Ravi, who feels
guilty feeling for having dropped Buddhi as a baby, and Padmini
have this unreal dream of seeing their son as a normal, good
student, who, like others, must become an engineer or a doctor.
The role was a challenge, says Khan.
"Challenging, but not tough. Because I know the press-ures that
parents have where their children are concerned because I am a
parent myself."
Khan says yes to a role only if he is able to
connect with the film when he reads the script. "Sometimes, I may
select a film by keeping in mind where the film will position me
in the market even though I may not be very excited by the scope
that the role offers me as an actor."
He disagrees with those who want to bracket him
as a serious and intense actor just because he had played serious
roles in movies like Maqbool and Haasil. He asserts
that he has refused to be typecast and turned down similar intense
roles because he believes it is a cardinal sin for an actor to
cling to an image to sell his craft.
His character in Metro is a case in
point. "I enjoyed playing the comedic character in Metro."
Khan is in talks with Rakeysh Mehra for
Dilli 6 and has signed Right or Wrong in which he
has again been teamed opposite Konkana Sen Sharma.
Vishal Bharadwaj has signed him to act as a loveable crook in
a musical thriller. There are also films like Crazy Four
and Sunday on the floors, and he is also looking forward to
the release of films like Dubai Returned and Wes
Anderson’s Darjeeling Limited.
He is happy with the way his career is
progressing. "My life has pushed me in the right direction. I am
looking forward to a time when I can choose to work in just two or
three films a year. I know that I have not reached the stage where
roles are being written keeping me in mind – and I hope I never
reach that stage! I feel that it would be like being caged and
that I’d end up playing myself in film after film. Instead, I want
to explore newer avenues and take up bigger challenges as an
actor.
"I can’t sing, I can’t write, and I don’t want
to direct – I am happy as an actor!"
