Jodhpur: Actor Irrfan Khan’s tryst with acting started as a teenager here. He used to watch his maternal uncle Sajid Nisar act in plays at the city’s town hall in the early 1980s.
The 54-year-old actor lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital Wednesday. He is survived by Sutapa and his sons Babil and Ayaan.
Acting tips
“Irrfan, who was in teens in the 1980s, used to observe his uncle’s stage performances. He would remain glued to his seat until the play concluded,” Nisar said.
“Mamu aap ye kaise kar let ho? Sabke samne aap nervous nahi hote? Apni ghabrahat ko kaise kabu men rakhte ho? (Uncle, how do you do this? Aren’t you nervous to perform in front of the audience? How do you control your nervousness?). These were some of Irrfan’s questions after the play,” Nisar added.
Nisar said that Irfan was just 10 years younger to him and they both were very friendly with each other. “Whenever he was in Jodhpur, he used to visit his maternal home. We would do lot of kite flying, roaming around the city. We used to go to the Mandore Garden and rocks of Kailana Lake and other places lot more,” he informed.
Getting through to National School of Drama
It was through Nisar, the actor got to know another theatre artist Madan Borana. The latter helped Irrfan prepare for his interview for Delhi’s National School of Drama (NSD).
“Since I was senior to him, he sought guidance from me for cracking the NSD interview. I helped him in the preparations. By chance, he made it through the interview and I could not. He cried but I motivated him to proceed,” recalled Borana.
Irrfan’s death was a dual blow for Nisar. He had lost his sister and the actor’s mother, Saeeda, just four days ago. “Due to lockdown, we could neither attend my sister’s funeral nor now my nephew’s funeral,” lamented Nisar.
Agencies
