Tigmanshu Dhulia remembers Irrfan Khan on 18th anniversary of 'Haasil'
(Sourced from PTI)
Actor Irrfan Khan believed that his character of Ranvijay Singh in the 2003 film Haasil would go on to become as iconic as Amjad Khan's villain Gabbar Singh from the cult classic Sholay, director of the movie and his longtime friend Tigmanshu Dhulia has revealed. The role of Ranvijay, a student leader with negative overtones, proved to be a breakthrough for the actor.
Set in a university in Allahabad, Haasil revolves around two student gangs in a college, fighting to finish each other. One gang is headed by college veteran and students Union President Gauri Shankar (Ashutosh Rana), the other an aspiring politician Ranvijay Singh (Khan).
Aniruddh, a law-abiding college student, falls in love with Niharika, and gets caught up in college politics and crime, and must fight it out for himself when his friend becomes his foe. The character of Aniruddh was played by Bollywood actor Jimmy Sheirgill, while actress Hrishitaa Bhatt played the role of Niharika.
Sharing an anecdote from the Haasil days on the film's 18th anniversary on Sunday, Dhulia said that Irrfan was certain that his portrayal of the cunning and ambitious Ranvijay will be as memorable as Gabbar. "Even though the two characters were unlike, Irrfan will always be remembered," Dhulia added. Irrfan won the Filmfare award for best actor in a negative role for Haasil.
Irrfan died on April 29 last year following a two-year-long battle with a neuroendocrine tumor. Dhulia and Irrfan first met at the National School of Drama (NSD) in the 1980s, which was just the beginning of their long-standing association, both onscreen and off-screen.
Dhulia and Irrfan formed a solid cinematic partnership, working in acclaimed films like Paan Singh Tomar (2010), for which Irrfan won the best actor National Award, and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns (2013). Irrfan's last movie was Angrezi Medium (2020), which was a sequel to his 2017 film Hindi Medium. Irrfan also worked in several Hollywood movies including Academy award winner Life of Pi.
