As Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri gears up for the release of his next film The Bengal Files on September 5, the filmmaker went down memory lane to revisit his 2005 directorial Chocolate. The mystery thriller, said to be inspired by the 1995 American classic The Usual Suspects, featured an ensemble cast including Irrfan Khan, Anil Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Emraan Hashmi, and Tanushree Dutta.Talking to Mashable India, Agnihotri admitted he still feels the void left by Irrfan. “His death was a great loss. I wrote a very philosophical article. I really miss him. He was a great person,” the director shared. Irrfan had essayed the role of a suspect in a bomb blast and robbery in the UK-set drama.
‘He never gave the same performance twice’
Agnihotri reflected on Irrfan’s style of working and said it was unlike anyone else’s in the industry. According to him, the late actor rehearsed a scene in one way but delivered something entirely different once the camera rolled. “Irrfan was an astounding artist and I really enjoyed working with him. He’d never let you know what he’ll deliver on camera,” Agnihotri said, adding that the actor would dig deep into the soul of a scene and present it through his own interpretation.This unpredictability often made it challenging for his co-stars. Agnihotri revealed that even someone as seasoned as Anil Kapoor had to rethink his approach during scenes with Irrfan. “Anil Kapoor would follow the script as written. He’s a different kind of performer, full of energy. On the contrary, when Irrfan sat, you’d think he has no energy. But then, if you watch their scenes together in Chocolate, they are brilliant. It was like a competition between the two about who can surprise more in a scene,” the director recalled.
A different side off-camera
Off the sets, however, Irrfan’s persona was far from intense. Agnihotri remembered how the actor turned into the life of the group once filming wrapped for the day. “After pack-up, he was a different person altogether. Everyone used to gather in his room for drinks. And while chatting and having fun, he used to just collapse and sleep at any moment, in any corner of the room. In fact, we had to lift him and take him to his room so many times,” he said with a smile.The filmmaker is now focused on his upcoming release The Bengal Files. The film explores Bengal’s hidden history and marks the completion of his Files Trilogy after The Tashkent Files and The Kashmir Files.
