- Vishal Bhardwaj revealed Irrfan was skeptical about casting Saif Ali Khan in Omkara
- However, Irrfan played key roles in Bhardwaj's Shakespearean trilogy films
- Bhardwaj and Irrfan had a two-year fallout over the film Ishqiya
Vishal Bhardwaj has revealed that his friend Irrfan Khan was sceptical about his decision to cast Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi in Omkara and believed he himself was a better fit for the character.
The director recounted what Irrfan said to him after learning that Saif had been roped in to play Langda Tyagi in the 2006 film, adapted from William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello.
"'For the role of Langda Tyagi, you have Saif play the part, and it will be a huge deal if he even agrees to cut his hair. I should be doing this part.' But by then, Saif was locked, and the shoot had already happened. I think if Irrfan had done it, it would have been something else entirely," Bhardwaj said.
He was speaking at a session on Wednesday evening following the special screening of A Story That Refused to Die, a documentary on Irrfan's film Paan Singh Tomar.
Though Irrfan did not feature in Omkara, the second instalment of Bhardwaj's acclaimed Shakespearean trilogy, he headlined the first film, Maqbool, and played a pivotal part in the third, Haider.
Maqbool, an adaptation of Macbeth set in the Mumbai underworld, featured Irrfan in the titular role. Haider, based on Hamlet and set in Kashmir, saw him portray the mysterious character Roohdaar.
Bhardwaj said Irrfan initially declined the relatively small role in Haider.
"I told him to read it as it is about Kashmir and is a film about politics. Irrfan was a very politically aware person and later said, 'This film should be made and I will do this part,'" he recalled.
According to Bhardwaj, both he and Irrfan had their fair share of disagreements.
At one point, the filmmaker did not speak to the actor for over two years following a misunderstanding over Ishqiya, which Bhardwaj had produced.
The black comedy, directed by Abhishek Chaubey, starred Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, and Arshad Warsi, and garnered wide acclaim upon its release.
"Irrfan wanted to do Ishqiya, but No Smoking (produced by me) had failed, and when we went to him for dates, he said, 'I thought you would not produce any more films after No Smoking failed, so I gave the dates to someone else.' I was like, 'Irrfan, this is not how things work. If a film fails, will I stop making films?' The film was to be made by Abhishek Chaubey, and many things happened during that time. I was very upset with Irrfan and did not speak to him for two years," he recounted.
The ice finally broke during 7 Khoon Maaf, when Bhardwaj approached Irrfan, and he immediately agreed to be part of it. In the film, the actor played the third husband of the protagonist, Susanna Anna-Marie Johannes, portrayed by Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
"For the role, I could not think of anyone but Irrfan. When I called him, he said, 'I was waiting for your call for a very long time. I do not want to hear the role. I trust you, so I will do anything you give me.' He was such a lovely soul," the filmmaker said.
Bhardwaj also spoke about several films that never materialised, including an adaptation of Tirichh, based on a story by Uday Prakash, and a romantic film titled Dream Sequence, in which Irrfan was to play a singer.
"He loved to sing and dance. Irrfan had shared a video of a Persian girl playing a traditional instrument. She was very beautiful and had a strong presence. He said he would do it, but that also did not happen," he recalled.
There was also a film that would have reunited Irrfan with his Piku co-star Deepika Padukone. Bhardwaj later made that project, titled O' Romeo, with Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri.
For Bhardwaj, Irrfan's absence continues to be deeply felt, especially whenever he conceives a new idea.
"When you think of a film, you miss him because Irrfan was not just a great actor but was also aesthetically profound and politically aware. We could make anything with him. With Irrfan, you could do anything, but that is not possible today with anyone else," he added.
A Story That Refused to Die, the documentary on Irrfan's 2012 film Paan Singh Tomar, captures the making of the biographical drama, the actor's process, and behind-the-scenes moments from the shoot.
Directed by Ranjeeta Kaur and produced by Angad Films and Tigmanshu Dhulia Films, the documentary was screened on the sixth death anniversary of Irrfan.
Filmmakers such as Tigmanshu Dhulia, Shoojit Sircar, and Imtiaz Ali, along with actors Aditya Rawal, Manu Rishi, and Deepak Dobriyal, were in attendance. Irrfan's wife Sutapa Sikdar and son Babil Khan were also present at the screening.
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