Irresistibly Irfan: Art films or masala, this Khan reigns

Irfan Khan, in town for the premiere of his new film Maqbool, says he likes to ?spring surprises on the audience?.

Bollywood’s latest new-wave messiah Irfan Khan is enjoying his busy stint. For someone who likes nothing better than spending time with family, Irfan is shooting round the clock doing “sensible films”, and enjoying it too. “I like to spring surprises on the audience. If I can do that I’m satisfied,” he says.

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Irfan was in town for the premiere of Vishal Bharadwaj’s Maqbool, a screen adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, at the 34th International Film Festival of India. He has just returned from the Marrakesh Film Festival and says: “The festival had a holiday feel. Hindi films seem to have a huge market there, which is good news. I think Marrakesh is a film festival to watch out for.”

In Maqbool, Irfan essays the lead role of a manipulative, ambitious underworld don. “Maqbool was a great experience. Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapoor are performers one has always admired. Tabu is a spontaneous actor. Vishal and Bobby Bedi deserve credit for having the courage to deal with a different subject. Vishal’s one of the brightest sparks in Bollywood.”

Irfan, who did the critically acclaimed The Warrior, is comfortable straddling arthouse and mainstream films. You’ll find his CV is a mix of Dubai Return, Killing Of A Blue Film-Maker, Shadow Of Time, Blue Train and the commercial Charas and Aan. Beyond studios, Irfan likes to read books and watch films. “I dream of films even when I’m not working,” he smiles.