Irrfan Khan: Why he makes India proud

Not many would know that apart from being a class actor, Irrfan Khan also shares a societal concern. Recently, the actor, along with the residents of his new locality, protested against three mobile towers installed near his place as he is worried about the radiations emitted from them. He said, “We all need mobile phones to work in this day and age. However, our mobile network towers need to be planned with better consideration to residential areas, parks, schools, hospitals etc. This is a dire need with today's increasing health conditions leading to complications due to the radiation. Starting with simple symptoms like headaches, dizziness up to the diagnosis of cancer as witnessed in the Ushakiran building case and numerous other cases. We can only create awareness and urge people to join us in this moment.”

Move on to the next slide to know other instances when Irrfan made us proud…

Irrfan Khan spoofs party numbers in AIB video
Popular actor Irrfan Khan, known for his intense performances, has showcased his quirky side in a new video for stand-up comedy group All India Bakchod (AIB). He features in a parody of rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh's ‘Party all night...’ by taking a dig at all party numbers featured in Bollywood films.

"The video is to make your Monday morning spicy, not to take anything seriously except the last line. Hahahaha," [sic] Irrfan tweeted. In the video, Irrfan can be seen explaining why he doesn't do party songs. He talks about the cliched must haves in all the typical party songs - girls, alcohol, same dance steps, different shots of the same person and so on.


Read on to know why the makers of Inferno changed their schedule for Irrfan...

Irrfan had been shooting for his upcoming Hollywood project, Inferno, with Tom Hanks in Hungary and was supposed to return to the country only by the end of this month. However, urgent work calls from the country forced the actor to wind up his shoot early and catch a flight back to Mumbai. A source has been quoted in a Mid-day report as saying that Irrfan was in Budapest to shoot for Inferno, and couldn't devote much time to promote Jurassic World as the Tom Hanks-starrer had gone on the floors immediately. The source added that he was not being able to give time to his other projects and wanted to wrap up his portion in Inferno as soon as possible. It is reported that the actor had requested director, Ron Howard, and the production crew to complete shooting his portion first. The source further reveals that Irrfan had been getting a lot of calls from filmmakers to meet him and had very few dates available, which is why he spoke to the crew members of his Hollywood project and completed the shoot by working in double shifts last week.

The actor has proved his mettle as an actor both in India and overseas. Check out why we are proud of him...

Irrfan is an actor par excellence and has creditable films under his belt. Versatility is his second name and his intense looks do all the talking. A name to reckon with in Bollywood and Hollywood, Irrfan has silenced his critics and made a name for himself in the West, a feat few Indian actors have been able to accomplish. Today, big names are lining up to sign the actor for their films and Irrfan being the actor he is, makes sure he has a meaty role to play in these movies. He is not affected by the box office frenzy or the 100 crore club. As the actor completes over two decades in Bollywood's, here's a look at why he makes India proud.

Power house of talent - Few can act the way Irrfan does. The actor took a while to become an established name in Bollywood. Irrfan started with films like Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Such a Long Journey that did not do much for his Bollywood career. But that did not deter the actor. Over the years, he proved his and today, he has films like Paan Singh Tomar, The Lunchbox, New York, Life of Pi and Jurassic World to his credit. Irrfan's films have travelled to various prestigious film festivals across the world and he's become the global face of Indian cinema. He is also a favourite at the Cannes Film festival and all big directors want to work with Irrfan, a feat few can boast of!

Humble Beginnings - With no godfather in the industry, this National School of Drama graduate entered the world of acting on his own. Starting with television, Irrfan went on to do serials like Srikant, Chanakya, Chandrakanta, Banegi Apni Baat, Just Mohabbat and Star Bestsellers to name a few. Slowly but surely, Irrfan began tasting success with films like Life in a... Metro, New York, Yeh Saali Zindagi, Paan Singh Tomar, Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns and most recently, Piku. Today, Irrfan is the recipient of multiple awards, including a Padma Shri, a National Award and a few Filmfare Awards.

In Demand - Recently, pictures of Irrfan shooting with acclaimed Hollywood actor Tom Hanks were doing the rounds on the internet. The duo were shooting for Inferno. That apart, Irrfan also featured in Jurassic World and according to a report, the movie was the fastest film to cross the $1 billion mark. And unlike some Indian actors in Hollywood, Irrfan did not have a blink and miss role in the movie. Irrfan was also Oscar winning director Ang Lee's choice for Life of Pi. He also played the male lead in Mira Nair's The Namesake. The Lunchbox actor will soon be seen in Sanjay Gupta's Jazbaa, which marks the comeback of former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Experimenting with different roles - From playing a romantic in Piku to the funnyman in Life in a... Metro, Irrfan has played a myriad of characters. In fact, for the latter, he even won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. In The Lunchbox, which travelled to several international film festivals, the actor plays an old man who finds love once again. The subtlety with which he plays his onscreen characters, makes him a class apart. The ease with which he played Capital City Police Officer Mir Zubair Mahmood in A Mighty Heart, also starring Angelina Jolie, brought him recognition in the West, post which offers started flowing in. Irrfan has certainly made a name for himself and is one of the country's finest actors, making India proud of him!