Revisiting Irrfan’s underrated Roohdaar in Haider, and what he focused on during a tough shooting schedule in Kashmir

Knowing of the deep respect and friendship Vishal shared with Irrfan, it would be unimaginable to think that the director would ever give him something that was not worthy of his talents. Roohdaar, the ghost character of Hamlet, which Irrfan ultimately ended up portraying with finesse and his usual charisma in Haider, was a small role on paper, but big in its scope. Roohdaar was the catalyst in Haider’s journey of revenge; he was the one who spoke in quiet tones to Shahid Kapoor’s titular character and reminded him of his father’s death and the inteqaam and badla (revenge) that was due.

Roohdaar had a hero’s entry in Haider, with a kickass background score, that enhanced the mysterious aura of the character. No one in the film knew who he was, and why he was so invested in Haider’s ‘mission’. Still, he was hard to ignore, and Irrfan’s magnetic screen presence made him hard to ignore. His deep set eyes, the limp, the ease with which he moved despite the said limp and the oh-so-poetic lines he got to utter in Haider was a treat. Irrfan just had to smile a little, stare a little longer to take us inside the world of Roohdaar.

When you already have such little time in the film, every scene you do in it, every line you speak, should add value to the story. At least, that should be the goal. In Roohdaar’s case, this actually happened. Which is why it is so difficult to write of any one sequence from Haider featuring the late star. His stylish and dramatic entry in Haider remains as unforgettable as the one in which he speaks of being both a Sunni and Shia Muslim as well as a Pandit. With the actor’s untimely death, those dialogues have taken on a new meaning — Aap marne wale hai doctor sahab, main nahi marne wala. Main tha, main hun aur main hi rahunga (You are going to meet death, dear doctor, not I. I was, I am and I will be till time stands still).”

Upon Irrfan‘s death, Bhardwaj had penned a heartrending screenplay in his honour. In a section of it, he recalled the time when the two were filming in Kashmir for Haider. Writing of the moment when a child had pelted a stone at their car, Vishal penned, “We are shooting at the bridge in the infamous, vulnerable downtown of Srinagar, against the advice of the security forces. After a point, the crowd becomes unmanageable. The security personnel loses patience with me and takes Irrfan away citing security concerns. The young boys who wanted selfies with Irrfan are also dispersed. Irrfan travels back in a car. A boy runs out from a lane situated at the square leg direction of the car. He bends his shoulder back and throws a stone like a professional cricketer at the car to run him out. The wind screen shatters into pieces. In panic, the security guard with a LMG wants to open fire on the boy. Irrfan stops him just in time.”

The director said when things got quieter and they resumed shooting, the actor spoke of the incident lightly and compared the young boy to outstanding South African fielder-cricketer Jonty Rhodes: “Vishal Sahab, kya throw maara… Aisa graceful ki Jonty Rhodes yaad aa gaya (Vishal sahab, what a throw and what a hand he had! He was so graceful that I was reminded of Jonty Rhodes).” Such was his attitude and his manner of observing everyone constantly that even in what could have been a potentially dangerous situation, Irrfan knew what he wanted to focus his energy on. He knew acting was his passion so even in bite-sized roles, Irrfan would pour all of himself and his experiences into that one fictitious person.

Bottomline: If you are an Irrfan fan, you would be remiss to sit out on Haider (if you haven’t already watched it that is).

Haider is available to stream on Netflix and ZEE5.