‘Irrfan knew his days were numbered’: Abhinay Deo recalls last conversation

Director Abhinay Deo has fond memories of working with Irrfan Khan on the dark comedy, Blackmail (2018). He lauded the late actor’s commitment towards his craft, and narrated a scene that holds a special space in his heart. In an exclusive video interview with SCREEN, Abhinay Deo shared that Irrfan, who was unwell at the time of the physically demanding scene, ran almost 200 metres without stopping for a single shot. What makes the memory even more special for Abhinay is that back then, he did not know about Irrfan’s health condition. The filmmaker also opened up about their conversations about a possible sequel to Blackmail and how Irrfan reacted when he told him they would work together again after his treatment.

He added that he would often observe the little things Irrfan did while performing, which always impressed him. The Delhi Belly maker 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.”

Irrfan Khan ran 200 metres for Blackmail scene despite being unwell

Recalling the scene, Abhinay Deo said, “There was a scene in Blackmail where I needed him to run for almost 200 metres without stopping, in a single shot. At the end of those 200 metres, he had to stop and emote, showing the turmoil of a man who had just seen his wife with someone else. He simply ran because there was no other way to do the scene. And, I didn’t know at that point in time that he was not well.”

Watch the video interview here:

“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,” said the director.

Abhinay said that a few days after the shoot, he realised that Irrfan was diagnosed with cancer. “A few days later, I got to know that he is…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,” he said.

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Irrfan Khan and Abhinay Deo had discussed Blackmail sequel

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Towards the end of Blackmail’s shoot, Abhinay Deo had already started discussing a second part with Irrfan because he was confident about the film. The actor, too, was excited about the possibility of returning to the story. Later, when Irrfan watched the film’s rough cut, his health had taken a turn for the worse. By then, Deo was aware of his condition and met him to discuss the possibility of working together again.

“During the end of the shoot, I actually started discussing the part two with him because I was confident of this film. He was very excited and when he saw the film’s rough cut, by then we all knew that his health has taken a south turn. That time, I spoke to him and said, ‘See, Irrfan, wherever you are going, Germany or wherever, just go, get well and  return soon, we have to do the second part.’ So, he started laughing and said, ‘Yeah, yeah, we’ll do.’ But, somewhere, he knew that his days were numbered.

Irrfan died on April 29, 2020, at the age of 53, following a battle with a neuroendocrine tumour. His death came two years after Blackmail’s release, leaving the sequel that he and Deo had discussed unrealised.

About Abhinay Deo

Abhinay Deo made his directorial debut with Game (2011) and followed it with the cult dark comedy Delhi Belly, starring Imran Khan, Vir Das and Kunaal Roy Kapur. He later directed John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha in Force 2 before Blackmail with Irrfan.

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He has now returned to the big screen with Doosra, which releasedb in theatres on October 23. The sports drama, starring Plabita Borthakur, follows a young girl who finds the courage to challenge the patriarchal environment around her after being inspired by India’s historic 2002 NatWest Trophy final victory at Lord’s, led by Sourav Ganguly.