Irrfan Khan once said 'Bollywood enjoys demonising' him versus international filmmakers who cast him as the 'good guy'

Two years have passed since legendary actor Irrfan Khan succumbed to cancer. The actor has played a range of roles in his career, including lead and villainous characters. 

In a 2009 interview with the Financial Express, the actor spoke about the contrast in the roles offered to him in Bollywood compared to the international film industry. 

"Bollywood enjoys demonising me, though I have no clue why. Maybe they think that my looks are devilish, but the international filmmakers find me perfect to play sensitive human characters and they want to cast me as the good guy," the actor had said. 

Also read — On Irrfan Khan’s death anniversary, here are some of the actor’s Hollywood films available on OTT 

The actor was not entirely wrong in his statement, because he was often seen as characters who were antagonists or had shades of grey to them. Some examples are Haasil, Maqbool and Ghaath. 

Some of Irrfan's international outings include The Amazing Spider-Man, Inferno, The Namesake, Life of Pi, and The Darjeeling Limited.

The actor's last on-screen appearance was with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Radhika Madan in Angrezi Medium, a spiritual sequel to 2017's Hindi Medium, which was released in 2020. The comedy-drama's box office performance was significantly affected due to the pandemic following which it was released on Disney+ Hotstar. 

Meanwhile, his son Babil is set to make his screen debut with Tripti Dimri in Anvitaa Dutt's Netflix movie Qala. Clean Slatez Productions has bankrolled the project.