Irrfan Khan’s death anniversary: Paan Singh Tomar to Hindi Medium, remembering his most versatile performances

Four years ago today, our country lost one of the biggest gems of the Indian film industry when Irrfan Khan breathed his last. His untimely death left a vacuum in the lives of his loved ones and his fans. But the actor’s legacy continues to live on through his incredible work onscreen. Today, let’s revisit some of his most versatile performances, which made a mark in the industry and our hearts.

Haasil (2003)

A good actor is one who can make the audience despise them when they step into the shoes of a villain onscreen, convincing us of their versatility. At a time when the country was gushing over the likes of Kal Ho Naa Ho and Koi... Mil Gaya, Irrfan decided to impress fans with his performance as Haasil’s antagonist Ranvijay Singh, a student leader involved in dirty student politics. The actor had once predicted that his character would be remembered like Sholay’s Gabbar Singh

Life in a... Metro (2007)

Quirky, natural and absolutely hilarious— that’s the only way to describe Irrfan’s character Monty, a man in his 30s who was eager to get married. The best thing about the actor in this film was that he was not afraid of being fragile onscreen. In many ways, Irrfan redefined masculinity with his performance, making us wonder where we can find a Monty in real life

Paan Singh Tomar (2012)

The film which not only garnered him a national award but also became a major milestone in the actor’s career. Irrfan’s portrayal of an athlete and soldier-turned-rebel Paan Singh Tomar left us glued to the screen, unable to take our eyes off him. His performance was groundbreaking and proved that he’s a chameleon, who could bring any character alive onscreen

The Lunchbox (2013)

A serious and lonely man who wants to be left alone ends up smiling to himself on opening a lunchbox meant for someone else. Irrfan as Saajan was simple, sweet and made us root for him and Ila, played by Nimrat Kaur. His performance and the storyline made a permanent place in our hearts

Piku (2015)

Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone’s father-daughter relationship was the highlight of this film. But the character who made just as strong an impact with lesser screen-time was Irrfan as Rana Chaudhary— the owner of a taxi service who drives them from Delhi to Kolkata. The actor was refreshing in this role and his chemistry with Deepika as well as Big B was a total delight

Hindi Medium (2017)

Parents always want the best for their children, may it be a comfortable lifestyle or education. In Hindi Medium, Irrfan played the role of a father who was willing to change his living standards time and again just to get his daughter admission into a good school. He was not only relatable but also extremely convincing

Angrezi Medium (2020)

Three years after the success of Hindi Medium, the actor returned to the silver screen as a father. This time, he tugged at our heartstrings as a single father who was ready to go to any extent just to fulfil his daughter’s lifelong wish to study abroad. This was Irrfan’s last film, which is also one reason why it will always remain close to our hearts

Irrfan was an incredible performer, way ahead of his time. Even though he’s not amongst us anymore, the star will continue to live on in our hearts.