Irrfan's death anniversary: Radhikka Madan misses her Angrezi Medium co-star, says he never took fame for granted

Sometimes, you don’t need to know a person for years to remember them once they’re gone. For actor Radhikka Madan, it was just that one film that she did with late actor Irrfan that left an unforgettable mark in her memory.

“He was a legend. Every artiste can say that Irrfan sir he was a phenomena. He has left us with so many good films and memories. In fact, just two days ago I was thinking about him and missing him so much that I went back an watched our film,” says Madan, as she talked about her Angrezi Medium (2020) co-star, late actor Irrfan, on his fourth death anniversary.

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Irrfan, who suffered from a rare Neuroendocrine cancer, was not keeping well in his last months when he was shooting the film in October 2019. Hence, Madan couldn’t spend a lot of time with him off set.

“I was already informed that his energies are going to be low. We finished shooting in October 2019 and in April 2020, he passed away. He shot the last scene with me,” says the 28-year-old, adding, “I only saw him as my father, I couldn’t get the opportunity of fan-girling around him.”

Reminiscing the days spent with the late actor, Madan fondly remembers him as someone very “respectful and passionate”. She tells us, “Full credit to Irrfan sir for treating me like an equal and not a newcomer, and giving me that respect as a co-star. That was the biggest motivation and it only gave me the confidence to believe in my gut and craft. He really inspired and encouraged me as a professional. I was always his student.”

Here, Madan particularly points that she observed Irrfan as an honest and truthful person, which also reflected in his craft. “He couldn’t lie in a scene. That’s the biggest lesson that I learnt as an actor that if you are not feeling the truth, you cannot just deliver the lines. You need to find the truth in every word. And, I have not seen him pretend to be this star Irrfan Khan, he was just very comfortable in his own skin,” she says.

Another thing that Madan can’t stop raving about Irrfan is how the late actor never took things for granted on set. She recalls how sometimes she would be tensed before a scene, and she’d see Irrfan also go through same emotions: “He didn’t need to do that, he was Irrfan Khan, but he was just equally passionate and excited to figure out how the scene was going to be. That’s when I realised that he is still a student and thinks that every scene is very important. He didn’t take his craft, name or fame for granted. He was equally nervous as me.”

Recalling this specific scene from the shoot of Angrezi Medium, the actor shares that Irrfan used to put his foot down when he wasn't convinced with any particular scene. “I remember a scene we did where I had to come home to my father in a drunken state. Homi (Adajania, Director) and I were acting it up a bit to make my character look drunk. Irrfan sir came on the set and rehearsed the lines with me. He has never done that, but for the first time, he put his foot down and said, 'Mujhe pata lag jaayega yeh drunk hai, mujhe pata nahi lagna chahiye'. He He just didn't want to do the scene till we dialed it down,” she continues, “We had to make it reach a point where he was just confused throughout the scene that something is off but didn't know that his daughter was drunk. That was another lesson that I learnt from him, whatever people around you say, if you are in the character, you should know how it should be.”