Irrfan Khan (7 January 1967) was an Indian actor who worked in Indian and British-American films. His on-screen debut was a minor role in Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay! in 1988. He followed this with appearances in a variety of television shows in the late 1980s to 1990s including playing ʽAbd al-Qadir Badayuni in Bharat Ek Khoj (1988), Makhdoom Mohiuddin in Kahkashan (1991), Vladimir Lenin in Lal Ghas Per Neele Ghodey (1992), a dual role in Chandrakanta (1994), and Valmiki in Jai Hanuman (1997). Khan found his television work unfulfilling and considered quitting acting.
His career experienced a turnaround with his breakthrough role as the lead in Asif Kapadia's The Warrior (2001), which won the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film. He followed this with critically acclaimed villainous roles in Haasil and Maqbool (both in 2003). For the former performance, where he played a devious politician, Khan received the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. In 2006, Khan portrayed a first-generation Bengali immigrant in the Nair-directed film The Namesake with Tabu and a hitman in The Killer. The following year, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a 38-year-old man waiting to marry the right woman in Life in a... Metro, directed by Anurag Basu. In 2008, he received international recognition for his role as a police inspector in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Khan played the eponymous athlete-turned-bandit in Paan Singh Tomar and the adult version of the title character in Ang Lee's Life of Pi (both in 2012). For the former, he won the National Film Award for Best Actor; the latter was a critically acclaimed commercial success. In 2013, he portrayed a widower who pursues an epistolary romance with a married woman in The Lunchbox with Nimrat Kaur. The film, which he also produced, was a commercial success and received critical acclaim. Three years later, he played supporting roles in Haider, Jurassic World, Piku, and the television miniseries Tokyo Trial, in which he portrayed the jurist Radhabinod Pal. In 2017, his performance as a father trying to get a place for his daughter in an elite English-medium school in Hindi Medium garnered him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor and also became his highest-grossing Hindi release. Khan starred as a widower in Angrezi Medium (2020). It was to be his final role as he died later in the same year, aged 53. He posthumously won Best Actor and Lifetime Achievement at the 66th Filmfare Awards.
Film + List of Irrfan Khan film credits YearTitleRole(s)Language(s)Notes1988Salaam Bombay!Letter writerHindi1989Kamla Ki Maut Ajit1990Drishti RahulEk Doctor Ki MautAmulya1991PitaUnknown1992Mujhse Dosti Karoge 1993Karamati CoatJaggu 1994 UnknownShort filmVaade IraadeNareshPurushSiddharth1997Private Detective: Two Plus Two Plus One1998Such A Long JourneyGustad's FatherEnglishBada DinPolice InspectorHindi19992000Ghaath2001KasoorLafcadia2002Kali SalwarShankarGunaahPandeyPrathaHaathi Ka AndaUnknownBokshu – The Myth High PriestEnglish2003DhundHindiHaasilFilmfare Award for Best Actor in a Negative RoleSupariBabaFootpathSheikhPolicemanShort filmMaqbool Road To LadakhShafiqShort film2004Charas Aan: Men at WorkYusuf PathanShadows of TimeYaniBengali2005RogHindi First lead roleChehraaChocolatePipi7½ Phere Voice only2006Yun Hota Toh Kya HotaVikramEnglishBengaliDeadline: Sirf 24 GhanteHindiSainikuduTeluguMr. 100%VishalHindi2007PartitionAvtarEnglishLife in a... MetroMontyHindiFilmfare Award for Best Supporting ActorEnglishApna Asmaan HindiAaja NachleFarooque 2008TulsiSurajSundayOne Two ThreeNarratorKrazzy 4Mumbai Meri Jaan ThomasChamkuVishal Kapoor MigrationShort filmSlumdog MillionairePolice InspectorEnglishNew York, I Love YouMansukhbhaiAnthology filmSegment: "Mira Nair"Dil KabaddiSamit Hindi2009Billu BilluNew YorkRoshanAcid Factory Kaiser2010Right Yaaa WrongKnock OutHisss2011Yeh Saali ZindagiArun7 Khoon MaafThank You2012Paan Singh TomarNational Film Award for Best ActorFilmfare Critics Award for Best ActorEnglishLife of Pi2013Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster ReturnsHindiAlso producerD-DayQissa2014 GundayACP Satya / NarratorCameo appearanceHaiderRoohdaar 2015PikuJurassic WorldEnglishJazbaaHindiTalvarBajirao MastaniNarrator 2016MadaariInfernoEnglish2017Hindi MediumHindiRaabtaNarrator No Bed of RosesBengaliEnglishIndo-Bangladesh joint production film, also producer;Nominated— Filmfare Critics Award for Best ActorAadamRajasthaniQarib Qarib SinglleYogiHindi2018PuzzleRobertEnglishBlackmailHindiKarwaanShaukat2020Angrezi MediumFilmfare Award for Best Actor2021Murder at Teesri Manzil 302Posthumous and delayed releaseFilmed in 2008–2009
Television + List of Irrfan Khan television creditsYear(s)TitleRole(s)Language(s) Notes 1987ShrikantAbhaya's husbandHindi1988Bharat Ek KhojʽAbd al-Qadir Badayuni1991KahkashanMakhdoom MohiuddinJazeere Alfred Television film1992Lal Ghas Per Neele GhodeyTeleplayChanakya1993KirdaarVarious characters HindiUrdu1994ChandrakantaBadrinath / SomnathHindiNajib ad-Dawlah / Ghulam Kadir1995Banegi Apni BaatKumar1996Just MohabbatMr. SinghCameo appearance 1997Jai HanumanValmikiBombay BlueRamiz1998SparshUnknown1999Geeta RahasyaKansaTarkash1999–2000Star BestsellersUnknown / Mahesh / Unknown / GaneshEpisode: "Bhoron Ne Khilaya Phool"Episode: "Ek Shaam Ki Mulaquat"Episode: "Fursat Mein"Episode: "Govind Aur Ganesh"2000X ZoneUnknown1 episodeDarrSerial killer2003Ssshhhh...Koi HaiAmarEpisode "From Reel to Real"2004Kyaa KaheinHost2006Mano Ya Na ManoHost2009–2010MTV RoadiesHimselfSeason 72010In TreatmentEnglish2016Tokyo TrialEnglishJapaneseMiniseries
Video games Year Title Role 2015Lego DimensionsSimon Masrani References
External links
Irrfan Khan at NF360