Eyes, Chico. They Never Lie: Remembering Irrfan Khan
5 performances by Irrfan Khan that remind us why his eyes said everything effortlessly
Five films. Five very different men from different worlds. Yet, each had something rare and hauntingly special—Irrfan Khan's eyes. His greatest tool as an actor that emoted pain as effortlessly as warmth as grief. Sometimes, an emotion in isolation, sometimes, everything all at once.
Five years after his passing these five performances remind us just how much he could say without needing to recite his dialogues.
While cherry-picking top 5 performances from Irrfan Khan's vast filmography is unfair, here are five notable performances from Irrfan Khan:
Maqbool (2003)
A Hindi adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Vishal Bhardwaj's crime drama Maqbool featured Irrfan Khan as the lead who descents into guilt and madness. As an underworld don, Maqbool (Khan) falls in love with his boss's mistress, Nimmi (Tabu) who instigates him to kill the don and become the next leader.
While the descent into madness is dark, his eyes unfold the guilt and the betrayal in moments of silence, even before they are admitted out loud; long before blood is spilled. What makes his performance unforgettable is the tragedy expressed by his eyes.
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Piku (2015)
Shoojith Sircar's Piku , Irrfan Khan as Rana is a calm in the storm of a chaotic father-daughter duo played by Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan. More than responding or irrupting the tussle between Piku and her father, Rana observes. His expressions —deadpan, amused and occasionally tender add a layer to the guy who drives them from Delhi to Kolkata.
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The Namesake (2006)
Jhumpa Lahiri's protagonist Ashok Ganguli presents a kind of stillness and strength that is distinct from the stillness around the immigrant family in America. His bond with his son Gogol unravelled through his eyes leaves a lasting impression on the viewers that makes his presence linger even in scenes he is not present.
Lunchbox (2013)
Saajan Fernandes, the widowed accountant nearing his retirement, hardly speaks in the film. He lets his eyes do all the talking. Whether its reacting to the message in the letter than comes along with the lunchbox, or his interactions with people around him or his quiet introspection, we feel the loneliness, his surprise, the tiniest glimmer of hope, and unexpressed emotions all filtered through his beautiful eyes. A true masterclass in subtlety!
Paan Singh Tomar (2012)
A man's rage seen in his eyes, Irrfan's monumental performance as national athlete turned rebel, Paan Singh Tomar is outstanding. He makes you feel every crack in the man's soul, and most of it comes through his eyes. Early in the film, for instance, his gaze reflects discipline and pride. Its the gaze of a man who believes in the rules, honour and in the country. When betrayed, that gaze turns sharp, unsettled by anger but never with clarity.
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Khan's magic unfolds in the film seamlessly, so much so that even after the credits rolled, you could see them speaking to you.
Special Mentions
Life of Pi (2012)
Life of Pi the movie is based on a Canadian philosophical novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry who post a shipwreck finds himself surviving on a boat in the middle of nowhere with a Bengal tiger, Richard Park.
Hindi Medium (2017)
Hindi Medium is a situational comedy based on social issues. It's a family-oriented story of a couple Raj and Mita who live in Chandni Chowk and are determined that their three year-old daughter should study in an English medium school and they leave no stone unturned to achieve this goal.
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Talvar (2015)
Talvar, released internationally as Guilty, is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language crime-thriller drama film directed by Meghna Gulzar and written by Vishal Bhardwaj. Produced by Bhardwaj and Vineet Jain, the film is loosely based on the 2008 Noida double murder case involving a teenage girl and her family's servant.
Starring Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi, the film follows the investigation of a case from three different perspectives in which her parents are either guilty or innocent of the murder charges by the police investigation, the first Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and an investigation by a different CBI team.