Late actor Irrfan Khan was last spotted in the movie “Angrezi Medium,” directed by none other than Homi Adajania, and the film hit the theaters a few days before his death. However, after all these years, new information has come to light about the excruciating physical pain the actor went through during the shooting of this movie. Costume designer Smriti Chauhan recently spoke about the poor health of the actor during the shooting of the movie.
In a recent episode of Unfolding Talents (UT) on the YouTube channel Digital Commentary, Smriti talked about Irrfan’s condition while shooting for the film. She remembered the star was constantly in pain and struggling physically but was determined to see the film through.
Irrfan had told Smriti that he was feeling very cold. He had demanded warmers from a specific company in London. However, despite dressing Irrfan heavily in warm clothes, the team had to do a lot of padding on his clothes as his body kept shrinking. This happened as a result of his illness. According to Smriti:
“He was very cold. He had demanded warmers from a specific company in London. However, despite dressing Irrfan heavily in warm clothes, the team had to do a lot of padding on his clothes as his body kept shrinking. This happened as a result of his illness. Smriti”
Further, Smriti shared, many shooting dates were cancelled because Irrfan was not in a position to work at all. There were times when, despite his best efforts, he couldn’t make it to the shoot because of the pain he was in. Even during the shoot, he used to need time to recover between takes, staying around family, who were always by his side during the shoot schedule.
She remembers that even the shoots set amidst the summer season were planned for with special care. Irrfan had worn vests lined with padding throughout his costumes so that he could keep himself warm. Talking about his determination, Smriti had been overcome with emotion when she said that it was as if Irrfan was convinced that acting was his only reason for living. “I think he was convinced that this is what I live for. and I wanna die doing this,” she said while adding that in many ways, he indeed did that.
Angrezi Medium is a film directed by Homi Adajania and features an array of actors including Radhika Madan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepak Dobriyal, and Ranvir Shorey. It is a sequel to the 2017 blockbuster Hindi Medium and marked a heartfelt goodbye to an all-time star of Indian cinema.
Irfan Khan kick-started his acting career through television shows and made a debut in Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! in 1988. He has appeared in many acclaimed movies like ‘Maqbool,’ ‘Piku,’ ‘The Lunchbox,’ ‘Haider,’ ‘Life of Pi,’ ‘The Amazing Spider Man,’ and ‘Inferno.’ Irrfan diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour, revealed the truth in the year 2018.
Irrfan passed away in the year 2020, fighting a long battle with his illness. His spouse, Sutapa Sikdar, and his two sons, Babil Irrfan and Ayan Irrfan, survive him.
