Vishal Bhardwaj pens screenplay on bond with Irrfan
It was a dark day for the entire country when Irrfan Khan breathed his last two weeks ago. But for some people, like filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, the loss was way too personal. In an ode to his close friend and colleague, Vishal has done what he does best. The director (54) has shared a heartfelt screenplay, in remembrance of the late actor.
The short script that Vishal shared with The Times of India, is a recollection of some conversations and anecdotes from Irrfan's life. The actor, who suffered from neuroendocrine tumor, passed away on April 29 at the age of 53. For the unversed, Vishal and Irrfan have worked together on movies such as Maqbool, 7 Khoon Maaf, Haider, and others.
Sharing an incident from Haider's shoot in Srinagar in 2014, Vishal revealed that a boy threw a stone while running after their car, which resulted into the vehicle's windscreen being shattered into pieces. However, Irrfan took it lightly and later said to everyone's amusement, "Vishal sahab, kya throw maara saale ne... Aisa graceful ki Jonty Rhodes yaad aa gaya."
Vishal recalled another memory from Haider's shooting, where Irrfan was so immersed in his character of Roohdaar, that the crew members spoke in whispers so as not to ruin his concentration.
Recalling a conversation with Irrfan after his diagnosis with the tumor, Vishal revealed that Irrfan had once said that his health was playing out like a variety of scripts, ranging from thriller to comedy at times. "Badan mein bahaut saare genres ki scripts ek saath chal rahi hai.. Kabhi koi thriller aage aa jaata hai to kabhi koi comedy," Irrfan had said.
Vishal added that when he first heard of Irrfan's passing, he felt that a "bomb exploded in my heart." Recalling the last time he saw Irrfan at the graveyard, Vishal penned, "I walk forward to face him. I am looking at his face endlessly. Time has stopped." "I wish I could edit out this scene from my life," he concluded.
