One of India’s most celebrated actors Irrfan Khan passed away on Wednesday.
Oscar-winning sound engineer Resul Pookutty talks about his friendship with Irrfan Khan, and recollects how they took their first steps in the world of cinema together.
My friendship with Irrfan Khan began at my hostel room 'B 22' while I was a student at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. That was way back in 1991.
Irrfan had arrived to act in my first diploma film, part of our curriculum. After completing studies from the School of Drama, he had landed in Mumbai, looking for opportunities in the movies.
I shifted to Mumbai in 1995. All of us - Irrfan Khan, Manoj Bajpayee, and Seema Biswas of the Bandit Queen-fame, - stayed close by at Goregaon as we tried to get a break into the movies. Those days whisked past us as we indulged in cinema talks and cricket, and then Irrfan got busy with TV serials.
When I made my debut in sound design with ‘Private Detective’, Irrfan was also part of the film. I was also the sound director of the serial directed by him.
We associated in several films. The filming of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is one of my most unforgettable memories.
If there are dubbing problems in Irrfan Khan's films, he would call me for help. 'Rasool saabh, thoda help karona', that was his usual utterance.
Irrfan Khan grew as an actor after 2000. Though he has done less than 60 films in 30 years, he was known across the world. Whenever a foreign film needed an actor from the southeast Asia, Irrfan's name would be the first to pop up.
He was making giant strides in the cinema world, when the rare disease, neuroendocrine tumour, struck.
One day, a friend from San Francisco in USA called me unexpectedly. He said that his uncle, a doctor, had found a cure for this disease and that Irrfan's illness can be treated. I rushed to Irrfan's house. He was then set to go to London for treatment. However, Irrfan's body rejected the medicine suggested by my friend. His body did not have sufficient proteins.
I observed Ramadan fasting in 2018 for Irrfan's recovery. Now, during another Ramadan, Irrfan has left us.
Our journey began from a small room and we travelled together into serials, Bollywood and even Hollywood. Now, it all feels likes a fable as Irrfan went away without even letting me say a final 'Salaam' to him.
