Happy Birthday, Irrfan Khan: Which is your favourite Irrfan Khan role?

As the talented actor turns 47 we look back at five of his most memorable roles.

Born on January 7, 1967 Irrfan Khan turned 47 today and while he might not have the star power of the other Khans, there are few finer actors in Bollywood. Also he is the only proper Bollywood actor who has broken into mainstream Hollywood and hasn’t done roles that doesn’t embarrass the entire nation (Anil Kapoor in Mission Impossible 4). Here are five of his best movies:

The Namesake

Irrfan Khan was simply mind-blowing in his portrayal of Ashoke Ganguli as he plays a Bengali grappling with life in the United States. Despite not being a Bong, he got the accent down perfectly and was subtle in his role. Later on in the film, he portrays a more mature Ashoke, who deals with his growing children’s increased Americanisation.

Paan Singh Tomar

While Bhaag Milkha Bhaag might have stolen most of its thunder, Paan Singh Tomar was the definitive biopic of the year if you consider realistic storyline, script and acting skills. Playing an ex-athlete/military man who turns into a dacoit, the story documents the real life adventures of Paan Singh and Irrfan Khan’s performance is quite down to earth and stripped of all glamour.

The Lunchbox

The Lunchbox showed us that Bollywood is quite capable of creating breathtaking, intelligent and classy movies on everyday topics. Irrfan Khan plays a widower who falls in love with a woman who accidentally sends him the dabba meant for her husband and this starts an endearing conversation between two strangers. Khan’s chemistry with his subordinate in the movie (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is also amazing. (Read: Different films of the year)

Maqbool

The desi adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth found Irrfan Khan playing a gangster who is torn between killing his mentor and taking over his empire and his love and respect for him. He is egged on by his mentor’s wife and then has to live with the guilt. No one in Bollywood could’ve done justice to this role the way Irrfan Khan did, giving us a powerhouse performance.

Life of Pi

Irrfan Khan was again mesmeric as the adult Pi Patel, in the Academy Award winning Life of Pi. While he might not have had a very long role in the movie, he was brilliant as he played the narrator telling Yann Martel his amazing tale. This was the second time Irrfan Khan was part of a major Oscar-winning blockbuster after Slumdog Millionaire.

Irrfan Khan is the first Bollywood actor who has actually crossed over to mainstream Hollywood/international cinema which really is an indictment of the Hindi film industry that we failed to capitalise on the exceptional skills of this actor.