Director Abhinay Deo is among the lucky ones who got to work with late actor Irrfan. The two worked together in the 2018 dark comedy Blackmail. In a recent interaction, Abhinay spoke about Irrfan's commitment and how the actor gave his all to the role, running 200 metres despite being diagnosed with cancer and undergoing treatment.
'His performances flowed like water'
Speaking to SCREEN, Abhinay shared that Irrfan took on the physically demanding scene despite being unwell and ran almost 200 metres without stopping for a single shot in Blackmail. The actor even did two retakes of the same shot. The director said he did not know about Irrfan's health condition at the time.
He said, “There are so many things about him. He was an extremely spontaneous actor, one of the finest our country has ever had. He used to study his characters extensively, but you could never tell that he had done so much preparation. You never got the feeling that he was performing something he had rehearsed. His performances flowed like water. He was so spontaneous, and it was fabulous to watch him.”
'This is the last take because after this, I might fall'
He added, “I told him, ‘See, Irrfan, if we manage in this shot then great, otherwise, we will have to retake the scene.’ He said, ‘Yes, we’ll do.’ He still didn’t tell me that he isn’t well. He did once, did the second time, and in the third attempt, I said, ‘Let’s do one last take for tighter frames.’ And, Irrfan said, ‘Abhinay, this is the last take because after this, I might fall.’ I got shocked, and thought maybe he is tired because it was in the middle of the night. A few days later, I got to know that he is (diagnosed with cancer)…this was the commitment level, that guy just ran and ran in that state. These memories are truly special because they remind me of a great man at work, someone who was completely dedicated to his craft”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “I told him, ‘See, Irrfan, if we manage in this shot then great, otherwise, we will have to retake the scene.’ He said, ‘Yes, we’ll do.’ He still didn’t tell me that he isn’t well. He did once, did the second time, and in the third attempt, I said, ‘Let’s do one last take for tighter frames.’ And, Irrfan said, ‘Abhinay, this is the last take because after this, I might fall.’ I got shocked, and thought maybe he is tired because it was in the middle of the night. A few days later, I got to know that he is (diagnosed with cancer)…this was the commitment level, that guy just ran and ran in that state. These memories are truly special because they remind me of a great man at work, someone who was completely dedicated to his craft”
{{/usCountry}}The director shared that towards the end of the film, he and Irrfan even discussed a sequel. However, the director shared that at that time ‘Irrfan knew that his days werenumbered.’ The actor decided to revisit the conversation after his treatment. However, while the film's rough cut was being put together, his health worsened.
Irrfan battled a neuroendocrine tumour. He died on April 29, 2020, at the age of 53, two years after Blackmail was released in theatres.
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