Irrfan Khan No More: 11 Times When Irrfan’s Scene-Stealing Acts Were the Best Part About Some Perfectly Average (or Worse) Movies

When it comes to describing Irrfan Khan as an actor, he can work both as the main ingredient that defines the recipe, as well as the tadka that can spice up a very bland dish. So it is hardly undecipherable that the whole cinema industry will miss this wonderful actor, who passed away on April 29, leaving behind a legacy of great performances in the Good, Bad and Ugly of the movies. There can't be anyone like Irrfan Khan, just see his performances in Haasil, Maqbool, Talvar, The Lunchbox, to know what I am referring to. A Quiet Farewell: Irrfan Khan Laid To Rest in Versova Kabristan, Last Rites Performed By His Sons Ayan and Babil.

The actor has been battling neuroendocrine tumour for the past two years. The brief time that he was recovering, Irrfan gave us another tremendous performance in Angrezi Medium. As the film's box office performances was cut short by COVID-19 outbreak, who knew then this was Life reflecting a cruel irony, as the film turned out to be Irrfan's last onscreen appearance.

Returning to my previous analogy of how Irrfan can be that perfect tadka for a bland dish, let's look at 11 films that were just average efforts, but they were made watchable purely for Irrfan's fine acts in the film.

Kasoor

Vikram Bhatt's remake of the '80s Hollywood thriller, Jagged Edge, had Irrfan in a supporting role as a lawyer trying to put Aftab Shivdasani's character behind the bars with some very problematic evidence. His character's confidence and later, his utter befuddlement when things get turned, are wonderfully portrayed by the actor.

Aan: Men at Work

Madhur Bhandarkar's cop thriller has an ensemble cast featuring the likes of Akshay Kumar, Shatrughan Sinha, Suniel Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Lara Dutta, Raveena Tandon and Paresh Rawal. Irrfan Khan plays one of the film's antagonists, a gangster, who is deceived into being a police witness. His flippant performance in the third act of the film, makes these portions quite enjoyable to watch! Rest in Peace, Irrfan Khan! The Amazing Spider-Man, Life of Pi, Jurassic World – Why He Was Bollywood’s Most Successful Crossover Star.

Chocolate

Another average remake, another great performance. Controversial filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri rips off The Usual Suspects, with Irrfan Khan stepping in Kevin Spacey's shoes. As the meek, reluctant artist caught in a web of crime, Irrfan is incredible here and his scenes with Anil Kapoor are the best portions of the film.

The Killer

Coming to think of it, most of the film in this list are remakes, average ones at that, enhanced by a great Irrfan performance. The Killer is the remake of Collateral, co-starring Emraan Hashmi. It isn't easy to live up to Tom Cruise's Oscar-nominated role of a cold-hearted assassin, but Irrfan proves that it is merely a cake-walk for him adding a signature charm to the role.

Sunday

Sunday is an underrated comic thriller in Rohit Shetty's filmography. While the main cast - Ajay Devgn, Ayesha Takia, Arshad Warsi - are good in their roles, Irrfan Khan stands out in his first out-and-out comedy role, as Arshad Warsi's best friend and a struggling actor seen in various getups.

Acid Factory

This remake of Hollywood thriller Unknown has an ensemble cast in Fardeen Khan, Dia Mirza, Manoj Bajpayee, Dino Morea, Aftab Shivdasani, Gulshan Grover, with Irrfan making an impression as a gangster defined by his flamboyance.

New York

Kabir Khan's New York is a decent drama based on the persecution of Indians in USA post 9/11. While the lead performances were merely okay, the film's two bright spots was Nawazuddin Siddiqui's brief cameo and Irrfan Khan as a snarky intelligence officer, latter providing the film's rare hilarious moments.

Right Yaaa Wrong

An underrated thriller, Right Yaaa Wrong has Irrfan Khan share screen with Sunny Deol and Konkona Sen Sharma. Sunny plays a cop who is accused of killing his unfaithful wife, but he claims to be handicapped and guilt-less. Irrfan plays his peer, who tries his best to prove that the killing was his former friend's doing, only to be checkmated by the latter all the time.

7 Khoon Maaf

One of Vishal Bhardwaj's weakest films, which still makes it better than the rest here. Irrfan Khan plays one of Priyanka Chopra's character's six flawed husbands. At first, he is this romantic persona, an Urdu-poetry spouting gentleman whose verses win over the leading lady, But to both her and the viewer's horror, he turns to be a sadistic person who derives sexual pleasures through sado-masochistic acts.

Thank You

Anees Bazmee's ensemble film starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Bobby Deol and Sonam Kapoor didn't achieve the same success as his other comedies. But it does have a few hilarious moments, most of them featuring Irrfan as a unfaithful husband, who is a total misogynist. The scene where his subdued wife, played by Rimi Sen, delivers payback is the funniest in the film, more so for Irrfan's perfect, confused expressions in the sequence.

Jazbaa

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan might be the face of Sanjay Gupta's remake of the Korean film, Seven Days. But it is for Irrfan Khan's scene-stealing performance that we most remember this average thriller for, playing a suspended police officer who helps Rai's character find her abducted daughter, while secretly being in love with her.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 29, 2020 05:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).