“It is very important for me to show my characters as respectful towards women” – Irrfan Khan : Bollywood News

Yet another brilliant character portrayal by you in Qarib Qarib Singlle. I couldn’t see you. I saw only your character Yogi?
Well…thank you. But it has become a huge responsibility for me to keep delivering what the audience expects from me. The critics have now started to say, ‘As For Irrfan his good performance was only to be expected.’

“It is very important for me to show my characters as respectful towards women” – Irrfan Khan

Does that scare you?
It doesn’t scare me. But it does make me concerned. What if the next performance doesn’t live up to expectations?

It’s like expecting good singing from Lata Mangeshkar or good cricket from Virat Kohli, don’t you think?
Now you are really scaring me. Itni taarif se darr lagta hai. But then this is what every actor works towards. At least this is the kind of expectation I’ve worked towards. I don’t know about others.

Coming back to Yogi in Qarib Qarib Singlle, let me tell you straightaway that I never want to meet him.
(Laughs) Yes, I get a lot of that. He is….annoying, borderline obnoxious. But he is also a decent human being who respects women and beats up anyone who disrespects them. I had to play him as a coarse even crass man. But still a decent man. It is very important me to show my characters as respectful towards women.

You have managed it. How did you do it?
When I read the script Yogi came across as someone loud in dress manner and conversation. The kind of attention-seeker who makes you cringe. I had to find the basic core of humanism in him and work my way around that.

Such power to get to the core of a character is not obtainable for too many actors?
It is every actor’s prerogative to observe and imbibe. Just how much of this an actor does is entirely up to him. To me observation is the main tool of acting. I’ve taken elements from various people I’ve met to play all my characters.

Your co-star in Qarib Qarib Singlle Parvathy is also a credible real person?
She is amazing and a true find for Hindi cinema. I hope she gets substantial offers in Hindi after this.

Your wife is a co-producer in Qarib Qarib Singlle. More responsibility for you?
She has done it all on her own. I am just an actor in the film.