Sainikudu (2006)
Fermina Enge
While almost everyone is familiar with his work in Hindi cinema and Hollywood, not many know that he played the antagonist in the Telugu movie Sainikudu (2006) that featured Mahesh Babu in the lead. The film, directed by Gunasekhar, was a politically-charged actioner that saw him play the role of a goon with nefarious intentions and give Tollywood a taste of his abilities.
Also read: RIP Irrfan Khan: 5 memorable movies that prove he was a class apart
The well-received Angrezi Medium was his last release and saw him share screen space with Kareena Kapoor Khan. The film opened to a decent response at the box office but its run was cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak. It was released on Hotstar recently and received good reviews from a section of the audience.
In these 30-something years, Irrfan worked in one Telugu film, Sainikudu (2006). Directed by Gunasekhar, the film features Mahesh Babu and Trisha in the lead roles. Irrfan essayed the role of Pappu Yadav, the main antagonist, one of Telugu cinema's famous characters till date.
Speaking to IndiaToday.in, Gunasekhar said that he still has not been able to come to terms with Irrfan's loss. "I couldn't believe when I saw the news that he was no more. He was an actor with so much potential. I wished to see him in more films," he said.
When Gunasekhar finished writing Sainikudu, he had plans to cast Irrfan as the villain. "I knew him from his films right from Salaam Bombay, Drishti and others. I was impressed with his performances and always wanted to work with a talented performer like him," said Gunasekhar.
Gunasekhar was catapulted to fame with Mahesh Babu's Okkadu. But, before that, he did a film called Ramayanam in 1996, in which the entire cast and crew had child artists playing the lead roles. In fact, the film marked NTR AKA NT Rama Rao's debut as a child artist in Tollywood.
Gunasekhar was in awe of Irrfan after seeing Drishti. "Irrfan was a fresh kid in the industry, and the film drew nationwide interest. I was amazed by seeing such a talent on screen. When the world came to know that he is moving towards mainstream films, I approached him for Sainikudu," he recalled.
"Irrfan was doing a lot of off-beat films back then. I gave him the character named Pappu Yadav in Sainikudu. He put in so much of effort to understand the depth of the character and get into the skin of it," he said.
Gunasekar said people who come from Bombay struggle with Telugu dialogues, but that was not the case with Irrfan. "He learnt every dialogue and was very particular about it. Manoj Bajpayee and Irrfan are the two people who make an effort to learn the dialogues and the language," he said.
Gunasekhar said that Irrfan received his first Hollywood opportunity while he was working in his film. He recalled, "We finished a schedule of Sainikudu in 2006 and that was when Irrfan got the opportunity to do The Mighty Heart, in which he acted alongside Angelina Jolie. Irrfan was very professional and called me to ask if there was a possibility of adjusting the shooting schedule. So, we charted a new shooting schedule just to accommodate Irrfan. Even Mahesh Babu felt that this was a great opportunity and agreed to adjust his dates. Irrfan was so thankful and expressed it throughout the shooting."
Gunasekhar said he was shocked when he heard about Irrfan's condition. "When I heard the news about his neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, I couldn't bring myself to talk to him about it. I was gutted and upset. An actor of his stature who had so much scope to make wonders, had to suffer from this illness. A few years ago, Irrfan had come to Hyderabad and messaged me asking if we could catch up. But I was busy with my commitments so I couldn't meet him."
"The last time I saw him was at the airport, when he was about to take a flight to Los Angeles to take part in the shoot of The Mighty Heart. It was an early-morning flight and even then, Irrfan thanked me for adjusting the schedule to make him comfortable during the shoot. I wished him the best."
Showering praises on Irrfan's talent, Gunasekhar said, "I have seen a lot of his films and my favourites are The Lunchbox, Paan Singh Tomar, Life of Pi among others. From now on, such films will miss an actor like Irrfan. He was a very good human being, well-spoken and kind-hearted. Irrfan gave a new lease of life to off-beat cinema. He also uplifted the commercial cinema and proved his mettle. We will miss him."
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