Movie-goers appreciated the movie Raat Akeli Hai when it was released on July 31, 2020, on the OTT platform - Netflix. It starred Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte, and Shivani Raghuvanshi in important roles. However, not many people might know that initially, Irrfan Khan was offered the role, but he found the script to be “boring.”
The Lunchbox actor’s wife Sutapa Sikdar revealed this at the Irrfan Khan: A Life in Movies book launch on 10 June in Mumbai. Irrfan ultimately decided against working on the project because he was sick.
Undoubtedly, Irrfan Khan was one of the impeccable actors in Bollywood whose contributions to his craft have been immense. Every character he played earned accolades from critics and audiences alike. His untimely demise left the industry and his fans in utter shock, but the actor lives on in the hearts of millions through his movies.
The book launch of Irrfan Khan: A Life in Movies was on June 10 in Mumbai which was graced by the late actor’s wife, Sutapa. She took to the podium to pay tribute to him and recalled his script-choosing process. She said that he always wanted scripts to be entertaining and not preachy. There were times when she would find the script “very boring” or he would call the script “awful”.
Talking about the movie Raat Akeli Hai, she said that he did not call the script bad, but asked, “What is new about it? Why should I do it?” She revealed that he finally did not take it up because he was not well. But Sutapa said that she loved Honey Trehan’s script.
She said that she kept asking her husband what is it that he does not like and Irrfan revealed that he liked the core, but, “Mujhe boring lag rhi hai kahin kahin pe (I feel it is boring at some places).” She further added that he read the whole script and looked at his role as well, but for him, it was important to see how the whole film was.
Sutapa is a film dialogue writer and has worked on projects like Shabh and Kahaani to name a few. She also produced two Irrfan-led films- Madaari and Qarib Qarib Singlle. Irrfan Khan was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018. He died on April 29, 2020.