Homi Adajania helmed Irrfan Khan’s last film Angrezi Medium. (Photo: Homi Adajania/Instagram)
When Irrfan Khan walked onto Angrezi Medium’s set on the first day of shoot, it had been a year since he had acted as he was undergoing treatment for his cancer. I jokingly asked him if he remembered how to act. He seriously replied that he really wasn’t sure. We didn’t just laugh at this, we cracked up hysterically. Then we looked at each other, abruptly stopped laughing and he said that he wasn’t joking. This was our relationship. We always saw the absurdity of life and something in everything, however serious or tense, made us laugh from our bellies.
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Resilient spirit
Irrfan Khan and Homi Adajania on the set of Angrezi Medium.
Whilst shooting, we knew how precarious the situation was (he was still undergoing chemotherapy during the shoot), and so he embraced the fragility of his situation with laughter rather than let the situation make him fragile. We went through more good days than bad owing to a rare resilience and spirit with which he carried himself. Ironically, the crew looked to him for strength rather than the other way around. You see, Irrfan never made his problem anyone else’s. I always knew he was a fantastic actor, but more importantly, I am so blessed to have crossed paths with an incredible human being.
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(Filmmaker Homi Adajania spoke to Shaikh Ayaz)
