Fare Thee Well, Khan : An article by Manjima Sarkar

 

“They are assembled, astonished and disturbed

round him, who like a sage resolved his fate,

and now leaves those to whom he most belonged,

leaving and passing by them like a stranger.

The loneliness of old comes over him

which helped mature him for his deepest acts;

now will he once again walk through the olive grove,

and those who love him still will flee before his sight.

 

To this last supper he has summoned them,

and (like a shot that scatters birds from trees)

their hands draw back from reaching for the loaves

upon his word: they fly across to him;

they flutter, frightened, round the supper table

searching for an escape. But he is present

everywhere like an all-pervading twilight-hour.”  -Rainer Maria Rilke

 

The last minutes that an actor spends on the stage are the most cherished moments we witness. In ‘American Beauty’, Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), a depressed suburban father, could view a flashback of his entire life the second before he died. It is still regarded as one of the most iconic movie scenes by almost every film connoisseur. Irrfan Khan’s untimely demise reminds me of this film and I don’t know exactly why. His death is like a theatrical finale, a tragic point of culmination that can only make you suffer from extreme remorse and unending despair.

 

Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan, born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, was the most unconventional Bollywood ‘hero’ in the midst of all the fair-skinned, good-looking film stars. He wasn’t a quintessential ‘Prince Charming’ who was meant to rescue a damsel in distress. To be very honest, he was so much more than that. Making his film debut in Salaam Bombay (1988) with a very small role, Irrfan Khan didn’t stop following his dreams of becoming a complete actor. His series of flawless performances in the Academy Award-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Life of Pi’, the National Award-winning biopic ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, the BAFTA Award nominated romantic drama ‘The Lunchbox’, ‘Maqbool’, a Bollywood adaptation of ‘Macbeth’ , ‘The Namesake’, based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel ‘The Namesake’ and ‘Piku’ earned him international acclaim by the viewers and critics across the globe. I cannot randomly choose one of his films and start critiquing it because that wouldn’t do justice to his years of struggle. But, all I can record here is my personal experience as a viewer and how I have revered the actor Irrfan Khan throughout my life.

 

An actor’s life is like a time bomb and his acting skills gather together to foster a massive creative explosion. You, as a patient spectator, wouldn’t know when you are watching your favourite character at its best. Irrfan Khan, as Saajan Fernandes will always remain special to me because I know I saw him at his best in this timeless Bollywood romance. Against the backdrop of an archetypal portrait of urban mediocrity, this man celebrated the classic essence of love with his bewitching eyes and magnificent voice. A splendid fusion of nostalgia, existential dread, subtle outbursts of emotions, frustrations and a vivid portrayal of everyday hurdles: I could feel it all when I immersed myself in this beautiful tale of a nonexistent modern man.

 

If you are a movie buff, you must have played the concluding monologue of Khan in ‘Life of Pi’ inside your head over and over again. Yes, this man truly taught us the art of letting go even before he bade farewell to us. What will reside in our hearts forever is an obscure impression of his art and his everlasting smile.

 

“As flies to wanton boys are we to the gods; They kill us for their sport.”

 - Shakespeare

 

Human life indeed comes with an expiry date, but an artist never dies.

 

I cannot accommodate my feelings with the aid of a few jargons. So, I’ll conclude by writing an imaginary letter to my favourite Irrfan Khan character:

 

“Dear Saajan,

 

You’ll laugh out loud in my frivolous dreams, I’ll always remember your fight

Look! The whole world is mourning, as you’ve gone gentle into that goodnight.”

 

Bio:-

Hey, this is Manjima Sarkar. I am pursuing Masters in English Language and Literature from Calcutta University. I am a trained Odissi dancer, freelance writer and a teacher. I love traveling, reading interesting pieces and watching wholesome movies! Attending Swati Aunty's English classes was a life-changing experience for me. She is partly the reason why I have become the person I always wanted to be. I'll be indebted to her forever! 

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