The actor has come a long way. The hardships he had to undergo before embracing fame were many. His cameo in Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay (1988), credited him as the letter writer, even after this he had to work hard for 15 long years in a television show called Haasil (2003). This show earned him a Filmfare award for Best Actor in a Negative Role, thus making him known among the audience as a 'brooding actor'.
But that was not to be the end. Nearly two decades after Salaam Bombay, he was seen as Ashoke Ganguly in Mira Nair's The Namesake (2007). His excellent performance made him Mira Nair's first preference for two of her short films.
This multi-talented actor has a lot of experience and appreciation when it comes to short films. Be it his role of a gay man cheating on his wife in Migration (2008) to playing a Jain diamond dealer romancing a Jewish Natalie Portman in Mira Nair's New York I Love You (2008), he never ceases to amaze us. Irrfan Khan's role in Mani Kaul's The Cloud Door (1995) was that of a dumb tranquil man who is accompanied with a talking parrot, even in his small part, we can see him give his best shot.
After a few years he was seen in a similar role, but this time he was ferocious and filled with intensity in Amit Kumar's dialogue-less short film, Bypass (2003). The passion which he brought through his eyes without uttering a single word, sent shivers down the spines.
Irrfan Khan has proved it again and again that he is the Master of all. Here's hoping to see more of him on screen in the future.
