Soon after The Song of Scorpions hit theatres, a critic wrote that “the lack of a backstory for Aadam (played by Irrfan) makes it difficult to fully understand and judge him”. But then, wasn’t it this indeterminacy that his characters drew strength from? They could be ambivalent, without a moral centre, and Irrfan would make them memorable with his inimitable style.
That was the thing about his onscreen presence: it was unobtrusive. He did not mind waiting to make his impact. He paced his career with similar wolverine patience. Starting with a minor role in Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay (1988), he appeared in countable feature films for the next 12 years, before making a breakthrough with Haasil (2003) and Maqbool (2004). In both, Irrfan moved furtively with a chilling calm.
If his contemporary, Manoj Bajpayee, was like a bouncing ball rife with nervous energy, Irrfan had the stealth of a wild cat. In his roles of a policeman in Slumdog Millionaire, Talvaar and New York, he carried a simmering, mid-level energy that blended with cool urbaneness. But, he never played the idiot, not even in comic roles like the one in Life In a... Metro.
Irrfan did not always need to be the lead to cast his spell. He could ease into a supporting role and make it his own, like he did in Piku. And, below his signature poise, there was an incandescent seductive sex appeal that left us asking for more. But alas, the scorpion sting came too soon. ––Vittal is a film commentator and public speaker
