By: P G
Friday, 23-March-2012
MUMBAI: Irrfan is probably India's most successful export to Hollywood, having tasted success with experimental roles in several critically acclaimed films such as "Slumdog Millionaire" and "A Mighty Heart."
But the 40-something actor said he has no plans to move to Hollywood. His last Bollywood outing, "Paan Singh Tomar", based on the true story of an Indian athlete who turns into a dreaded outlaw, pleased critics and was a sleeper hit at the Indian box-office this month.
Irrfan spoke to Reuters about "naive" Indian audiences, how Hollywood gives him rare experiences and why he doesn't use his last name any more.
Q: Were you surprised by the kind of success that "Paan Singh Tomar" has seen?
A: "Surprised, in the sense, I was pleasantly surprised. The film has taken care of all the worries and doubts we had."
Q: (Director) Tigmanshu (Dhulia) has said he was surprised that urban audiences liked it as much.
A: "I wasn't apprehensive about urban audiences at all. Cinema is changing every week, and multiplex audiences are demanding every week. Although they are very naïve, very forgiving. They aren't like Western audiences, where you have to do so much to bring the audience to the theatre. Here, if you give them something in the film, the audience will patronize it."
Q: Does the fact that Indian audiences are forgiving mean that we work less hard on our films, as compared to the West?
A: "Our audiences believe in fantasies, we believe in celebrations - even our Gods have affairs. We don't have a culture of realistic cinema. So even if the film touches them emotionally in some way, they'll buy it, even if it isn't credible. They are ready to believe that three sons are lying on the bed and donating blood to their mother. We are simple people. But of course, now they are watching Hollywood cinema and world cinema so now they are getting demanding. They are looking for films that have their own voice, which aren't ripped from somewhere else. You had film-makers like Bimal Roy and Mehboob Khan in the past, who had their own voices."
Q: Do you think we've lost out on that voice?
A: "I think the new generation will bring it back. After that, the generation which will come, they'll change cinema completely, and then we'll understand what crossover cinema is. Right now it's difficult for us to get the attention of the West. Right now, it's there in pockets, but we don't have an international voice."
Q: A lot of people say that international voice is you.
A: "I'm not a storyteller; I'm just a cog in the wheel. I can recite poetry but I cannot write it. I need a story-teller who I can trust and I can let myself loose."
Q: Your approach to acting seems very academic. Does that work in Bollywood?
A: "When I went to the National School of Drama, and I dreamt about myself as an actor, I never imagined myself in a suit. I always imagined myself in a different look. I want to feel different all the time. But when you come to an industry where things are valued or judged on the basis of how your film has done in the first three days, you do try to imbibe certain things, because you have to survive as an actor."
Q: So doesn't doing films like "Thank You" go against what you believe in?
A: "No, 'Thank You' was fine. I enjoyed playing that character. I was trying to entertain people. There have been certain films I have done where it was just a fashion parade - there was nothing to do with the character or the story. I have done films where I was detached from the story, but I had no choice. I didn't enjoy those experiences, but I was just trying to stay in circulation and trying to make my presence felt."
Q: Do you regret doing those films?
A: "No, it's part of the game, you have to survive. You have to save yourself for better opportunities, you have to experiment and you learn from every experiment. That's how you take it, because once you start regretting, there's no end to it. I hope I never get to a stage where I start to regret - life is too short."
Q: Are you using the same approach with Hollywood?
A: "I am very careful. I am privileged to be in Hollywood. I do get a lot of incentives to shift my base there and I could become very busy there. I could keep on doing films there but then I will be repeating the same mistake. Then I'll have to do films just for my survival. That I can do here. America has a lot more to offer, it gives me a rare experience. America is also a door to different industries like Europe. I haven't done a European film. I am doing a film now, which is an Indo-German-French collaboration."
Q: You've dropped 'Khan' from your name, preferring to be called only Irrfan. Why is that?
A: "This isn't recent; I did it 10 years ago. People are realizing it now. It seems to me that caste, creed and color are all tools to misuse ... people are trapped in these brackets and then misused by people who have the reins.
"I don't know what to do with it, I cannot change the world (pauses). I don't like being called as part of a group, where everyone is told that one group is superior to the other. Maybe that's how I am. I am just here to question." (Reuters)
In an interview with The New York Times, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the supreme military commander in Afghanistan, dis...
Under Obama's administration, if you meet with someone in a terrorist group and advise them to turn to nonviolent means,...
BRUSSELS : The top NATO military commander says, with all the challenges still facing Afghanistan, he is only “cautiousl...
KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai could face the same grisly fate as the last Soviet-backed communist ruler by trusti...
KABUL, Afghanistan: The top U.S. military chief in Afghanistan said Monday that his team is working as fast as possible ...
A new book, "Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1839-1842," draws on Afghanistan's violent history to provide ...
The New York Times interviewed Gen. John. R. Allen on Sunday, a week before his scheduled departure from Afghanistan aft...
Transcript of the interview with the Afghan president conducted by the Guardian's Emma Graham-Harrison and the ITV News ...
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian in London, the president of Afghanistan explains why he still cannot take a ...
Pakistan may be one of the most male- dominated societies on the map, with discrimination against women being almost an ...
WASHINGTON : Worries that instability could undermine the Afghan economy after most foreign troops leave in 2014 could s...
WASHINGTON : As the Obama administration weighs how many troops to keep in Afghanistan after 2014, Gen. Stanley A. McChr...
KABUL: Afghanistan is not worried over the withdrawal of the NATO-led foreign troops from the country by the end of 2014...
Zubeida Mustafa was the first woman to work in Pakistan’s mainstream media. That was more than 30 years ago. Today, beca...
A few days after his visit to Kabul last week, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke with RFE/RL Radio Free...
Afghanistan's drug business poses a threat to the entire Central Asian region. But more regional trade, not just tighter...
Sir Richard Stagg suggests process of withdrawal could be accelerated, and says Taliban are ready to talk The internati...
The United States has formally handed over control of Bagram prison to Afghan authorities. Yet despite this, U.S. offici...
From Iran's glorious past as the ancient world's first superpower to Russia’s present and continuing obsession with prot...
An exclusive interview with Gen. John Allen, commander of America's forgotten war. The lack of a clearly defined narrat...
Sajjad Zaheer was among those who formed the Progressive Writers’ Association in Lucknow in 1936.SAJJAD ZAHEER, a much-u...
In the "factory of the world" that is China; a Beijing-based nongovernmental organization is trying to clean up the envi...
Jeff Horwich: The weather forecast offers no relief for weeks across much of the U.S. breadbasket. Corn and soybean pric...
‘Thoughts on Being a Modern Muslim’ InterviewDeath threats, bodily harm, living in an apartment with bullet-proof...
KABUL, Afghanistan: The outgoing U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan said Thursday that he thinks it's unlikely that the depa...
Ali Madeeh Hashmi talks to Musharraf Ali Farooqui, author of the recently published novel Between Clay and Dust, about w...
Last year, while I was the political cartoonist for the Tri-City Voice, a controversy erupted in New York City over a pr...
The Supreme Court’s verdict to disqualify Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani “is not a routine democratic change”, accord...
KABUL: China is the most reliable friend of Afghanistan, said Xu Feihong, Chinese ambassador to the war-torn country, ju...
Society must first seek to understand principles of Islam before attempting to apply them, according to one of Mauritani...
Bruce Riedel, one of the architects of the US-Afghanistan strategy, is optimistic about the success of NATO’s mission in...
Mushir Hassan has been living in Brookfield for 12 years, with two daughters in Elm brook schools and two that aren't ye...
This unrepentant Marxist, writer, journalist, filmmaker and political campaigner is still searching for socialism with a...
KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban will eventually resume talks with the United States, a former commander said, but it will d...
British and American troops fighting in Afghanistan "should get out now" if the world's major powers are not prepared to...
MUMBAI: Irrfan is probably India's most successful export to Hollywood, having tasted success with experimental roles in...
Michael Muhammad Knight in an interview with Richard Marcus Michael Muhammad Knight has earned a reputation as an osten...
DAOUD SULTANZOY: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. SECRETARY LEON PANETTA: Thank you very much. DAOUD SULTANZOY: It's a diff...
March 12, 2012: Journalist Asra Nomani is interviewed in suburban Washington.The New York Police Department has faced cr...
Journalist Asra Nomani is interviewed in suburban Washington.The New York Police Department has faced criticism for its ...
What are the implications of the weekend killings of 16 Afghan civilians by a rogue U.S. soldier in southern Afghanistan...
Q. You are obsessed with change. This is in fact, your critics argue, one of the main problems with your thought. ...
In connection with the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan, the neighboring countries of Central Asia have moved up in recen...
1: Tell us something about yourself?• : My name is Dr.Laila Hassan; I did my Post graduate MCPS ENT Training after doing...
Syed Ali Wasif, President of the Society for International Reforms & Research in an interview with Press TV A Saudi jour...
Since she was appointed as Pakistan's F...
KABUL: French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to withdraw his forces from Afghanistan by 2013, a year ahead of 2014...
Richard Dawkins in an interview with Vineet GillRichard Dawkins is amongst the most provocative thinkers of our times. T...
Excerpts from Salman Rushdie’s interview to Barkha Dutt of NDTV after the cancellation of his video-link address at the ...
The year 2010 witnessed a dramatic deterioration in trust and diplomatic relations between the United States and Pakista...
That dialogue rings just as true for the man who wears the mask of Don these days; Shah Rukh Khan has been living out of...
* Delawari says tighter supervision needed for banks * Country must bring import activity into banking system * Negot...
Muzaffarpur-born and Jamshedpur-educated Kashif-ul-Huda is the man behind TwoCircles.net, the website for all things Mus...
He assesses whether NATO is winning the war effort, explains why he can no longer talk to the Taliban and tells us how h...
We have taken up Arms to Establish LawsThis is the second part of Prague Watchdog’s interview with Movladi Udugov. PW: L...
We Have Taken Up Arms To Establish Laws Movladi Udugov, head of the Informational-Analytical Service of the Caucasus Em...
Sir David Attenborough, the wildlife presenter, has described high-tech “geo-engineering” solutions to climate change as...
Following is a transcript of the interview with Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia Univer...
K.N. Panikkar, renowned historian in an interview with G. KrishnakumarA student's right to read Ramanujan's essay on the...
Business leader terms new income tax return system unsatisfactory Islamabad: Munawar Mughal, Chairman of the Founder Gro...
KABUL :The luxury apartment in north Kabul where Rohullah Nikpai lives with his family was a gift from the Afghan presid...
‘Was USSR imperialist? Well, imperialism has to do with capitalism, capitalist accumulation, and transfer of wealth from...
A long-time senior strategist for the Taliban regime who fought under the name Abu Walid al Masri was recently released ...
A chat with Dr.Devi Shetty, Narayana Hrudayalaya (Heart Specialist) Bangalore was arranged by WIPRO for its employees. T...
Afghanistan ambassador to Australia Nasir Andisha says there is nothing to suggest the most recent attack by a rogue sol...
The International Energy Agency (IEA)’s annual World Energy Outlook, due for publication on 9 November, will contain ala...
CHAMAN, Pakistan: A mid-level Afghan Taliban commander, whose fighters held two French journalists hostage for more than...
PERTH (Australia): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan, United States and Afghanistan need to continue w...
Former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad believes the U.S. relationship with Pakistan "has entered a very sensi...
Pul-i-Alam, Afghanistan: After spending most of his life as a fighter – first as a mujadhideen during the Soviet invasio...
As war grinds on in Afghanistan, there is increasing talk about finding a negotiated solution. It's a complicated propos...
Terrorists and those supporting them have no place in any society and they should be banished and brought to justice, a ...
Interview with Haroun Mir, political analyst, Kabul Dozens of US commandoes have been killed as their helicopter was s...
Interview with Conn Hallinan, a Foreign Policy In Focus columnist In the 10 years since American troops were sent into...
In interviews with RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Afghan lawmaker Homa Sultani has repeated the claim that she has met...
Abdul Hakim Elhssadi was forced into exile by Moamer Kadhafi. After ending up in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the former Li...
"I am a Witness to the Changes in Islam" Interview with Leading Islamic reformist Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid (1943-2010) Leadi...
It’s almost been a year since Farah Pandith was appointed Special Representative to Muslim Communities by Secretary of S...
An interview with Mohammad Umer Daudzai. Mohammad Umer Daudzai was appointed Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan th...
RAE ABILEAH, Jewish activist who disrupted Israeli PM’s Speech to US Congress in an interview with AMY GOODMAN Israeli ...
Dr. Stephen Philip Cohen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, Washington DC, is a respected authority on the Pak...
Badriya Al-Bishrin, a Saudi writer in an interview with Christoph Dreyer''Anything You Write about Is Made a Scandal, Ev...
Steve Coll in an interview with Alia Allana Award-winning American journalist and writer Steve Coll is the author of be...
Safety parameters on nuclear facilities vital, says expert Former Afghan envoy to the UAE, Farid Zikria, speaks up on ...
On their way to visit Baku and Kabul as part of a congressional delegation, U.S. Representatives Bill Shuster (Republica...
I conducted this interview in 2001 September. This is the man who was praised by Indians and they established a commissi...
Name: Egyptian Armed Forces Role: The army remains the most powerful institution in Egypt's chaotic nation, and wha...
Name: Gamal Mubarak Age: 47 Role: Served as secretary general of his father's National Democratic Pa...
Name: Muslim Brotherhood Role: The brotherhood is Egypt's largest and most organized political opposition movement. Bann...
Name: Mohamed ElBaradei Age: 68 Role: The Nobel Peace Prize winner joined demonstrators tryi...
Name: Ahmed Shafiq Age: 69 Role: President Mubarak appointed Shafiq as prime minister on...
Name: Omar Suleiman Age: 74 Role: The intelligence chief and Mubarak confidant became Egypt's first vice president in th...
Name: Hosni Mubarak Age: 82 Role: The former air force commander has ruled Egypt for 30 years as leader of the National ...
Born to a business family in mardan, Muhammad Atif received his high school education from khyber Pukhtunkhwa's most re...
Heat deaths in Manhattan to rise
Killing season may push into spring and fall, says study. Residents...
Migratory “Flyways” Decimated by Human Expansion
UNITED NATIONS: Migratory birds, which play an important role in the ...
بیڑیاں
کراچی اپنی...
بجلی کا مسئلہ بڑی آسانی سے حل ہو سکتا ہے
نہ صرف لوڈ &...
How China chokes its neighbors
Asia’s latest diplomatic flashpoint? Air pollution. FUKUOKA, Japan ...
China: High and dry
Water shortages put a brake on economic growth Wang Fuguo, a 63...
اسرائیلی ریاست تاریخی نشان عبرت
کوئی ہما...
میاں صاحب ذرا سنبھل کر!
پاکستان ...
