“I wanted to write a funny book about Irrfan Khan. When this (cancer) happened, he had to fart a lot. That’s the funniest thing to write about, as to how embarrassing it was for him” – Sutapa Sikdar

By Fenil Seta -

June 12, 2023 - 10:35 AM IST

On Saturday, June 10, Shubhra Gupta’s book 'Irrfan: A Life In Movies' was launched at a cosy event in central Mumbai. Based on the life of deceased actor Irrfan Khan, the book launch was graced by Irrfan’s wife Sutapa Sikdar, his son Babil Khan, actor Danish Hussain and writer-director Shailja Kejriwal. Danish moderated the session comprising Shubhra Gupta, Sutapa Sikdar and Shailja Kejriwal where a lot of interesting details were shared about Irrfan Khan’s life.

“I wanted to write a funny book about Irrfan Khan. When this (cancer) happened, he had to fart a lot. That’s the funniest thing to write about, as to how embarrassing it was for him” – Sutapa Sikdar

Sutapa Sikdar revealed that she had also thought of writing a book on Irrfan and that she praised Shubra Gupta’s approach. Sutapa said, “I liked the idea of not fictionalizing something and not delving into personal details. She was not interested in it. She was more interested in (his) process of acting. This was different from what I had thought in my mind.”

When Danish Husain asked what was Sutapa’s thoughts behind writing a book on Irrfan, she replied, “I wanted to write a funny book about him. Everybody knows him as a serious person. He had neuroendocrine cancer which affected his gut. He was a very decent, soft and delicate male. He was not a macho, masculine man. He had this etiquette all the time. When this (cancer) happened, he had to fart a lot. That’s the funniest thing to write about, as to how embarrassing it was for him. And how slowly we accepted the disease, how the disease accepted us and how slowly it became a part of our lives.”

Sutapa further said, “What he believed in life was reflected in his films. He never changed himself. He didn’t have an attitude. He didn’t think that he had to arrive 10 minutes late or he needed to have 2-3 bodyguards. From the inside, he was the middle-class man that he played in Madaari (2016) or the Qarib Qarib Singlle guy (2017). But it was easier said than done. As Shubra said, he pushed the envelope. But when it comes to the Mumbai film industry, the envelope comes with a heavyweight. His bravery lies in the fact that he managed to push the envelope that many were and are not able to.”

Also Read: Irrfan Khan’s last film Apno Se Bewafai to release on May 26; makers release hot poster featuring Mahima Chaudhry