When Irrfan Khan was praised by Hulk actor Mark Ruffalo: ‘Hey man, I love your work.’

Throwback: In an unexpected meeting Irrfan Khan sat across Mark Ruffalo’s table at a restaurant in New York City. However, Irrfan was overwhelmed when Mark praised him for his work...

Irrfan Khan

Actor Irrfan Khan’s death has been condoled in both India and abroad. The gifted performer died in the presence of his family, having battled cancer for two years, on April 29.

However, his art never saw a conclusion. His last film Angrezi Medium garnered a lot of love from the audience and critics as well. While he effortlessly worked his magic in Bollywood, Irrfan was well-versed with his craft as he even bewitched his audience in the west. Khan was also praised by his favorite actor Mark Ruffalo.

Mark and Irrfan unexpectedly sat across each other at a restaurant in New York City. Hoping to interact with the Hollywood star, Irrfan couldn’t approach him. As the Avengers: Endgame star was about to leave, a disappointed Irrfan was met with surprise when Ruffalo himself recognized the Indian actor, reached out to him, and complimented him on his work.

The incident that took place perhaps around 2010 is one of the many anecdotes mentioned in Aseem Chhabra's Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star, a biographical work on the 53-year-old actor.

According to the book, Irrfan and Indian director-screenwriter Aditya Bhattacharya were once having brunch at a well-known restaurant in New York City with producer Leslie Holleran (The Cider House Rules, 1999 and Chocolat, 2000). This was the year after the huge success of Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire.

“Suddenly, Irrfan elbowed Aditya. He had noticed that actor Mark Ruffalo was sitting on the next table. But he was there with a large group of people, perhaps his family. Irrfan told Aditya that he was a big fan of Mark’s and somehow wanted an introduction. I asked Leslie if she knew him and she said she did, but she didn’t feel like walking up to Mark,” Aditya says in the book. “She said it didn’t look right. But I could also see Irrfan thinking, ‘Hello toh bolte hain‘ (Let’s at least say hello)’.”

He continues, “When we were leaving, Irrfan looked disappointed but then something incredible happened. Mark saw him, put his hand forward and said, ‘Hey, man, I love your work.’ And Irrfan probably saw sparkling lights all over’.”

Brought out by Rupa Publications, Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star is the third biography of an Indian cine-star by Chhabra, who has previously come out with works on the late Shashi Kapoor in 2016 and Priyanka Chopra in 2018.

The book draws largely from personal interviews of people and artistes associated with the actor, throughout his journey from a small household in Rajasthan’s Tonk to drama school in Delhi to Mumbai and then becoming a globally recognized artiste.

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