Irfan Khan leaves the stage of life with standing ovation
BY ALI NAQVI –
Life is a mysterious phenomenon. It can amaze us in so many ways. What scares me most is the fact that we don’t realize the value of life until we lose someone, and in that case death has a vital role to play. When I heard the news of the demise of Irfan Khan, it was not his death that shocked me rather his life. Never before had I thought about his achievements, accomplishments and stature as one of Bollywood’s finest actors.
There are a very few actors in the Indian film industry who made their name only on the merit and sheer talent of their acting. In subcontinent if you are a chocolate hero you can be a superstar. Glamor, romance and the sizzling eroticism that goes with it leaves little room for versatile actors to make their mark. Most actors start as heroes or die trying to be one.
It’s about time that we redefine the concept of heroes. A hero is not someone who does heroic things or fall in love with a beautiful girl. He is someone who is good at his job. Someone who works so hard to pull the stars from the heavens to achieve his/her destiny. A determined heart who never gives up no matter how hard the circumstances.
Irfan Khan was a hero in the true sense of the word. He had just one tool ‘acting’, he used that tool to perfection to win hearts around the world. Irfan has done many memorable and remarkable roles in his short career. His role in Life of Pie is most memorable for a number of reasons. Through his character we are confronted with life and death, meaning and meaninglessness of existence, love and betrayal, truth and falsehood, known and the unknowable; and he does it beautifully.
If we look at Bollywood filmography of Irfan Khan we find great movies like Lunchbox, Piku, Haider, Yeh Saali Zindagi etc. but for me his most brilliant performance comes in Madaari. He proved his mettle and once again showed his fans that he was one of the greatest actors Bollywood film industry has ever produced.
The entire Pakistan film and drama industry is devastated by his sudden demise. Celebrities including Shaan, Fawad Khan, Adnan Siddique, Mahira Khan, Ahsan Khan, Mehwish Hayat and many others took to social media and offered their condolences to the bereaved family and fans.
The untimely death of Irfan Khan at the age of 53 has created the gap in the world of film that may never be filled. As they say, all the world is a stage and all of us are mere actors who come and go but there are some like Irfan Khan who make the most out their time on the stage of life and when they exit they leave the audience in a spellbinding ecstasy and wonder.
