Exclusive! Tanuja Chandra on working with Irrfan Khan: There was a kind of quiet panic in his humor

Tanuja Chandra, who had called the shots for Irrfan Khan starrer ‘

Qarib Qarib Singlle

’, speaks in awe of the actor. Fondly remembering the time when they worked together, Tanuja Chandra tells

ETimes

, “Irrfan, famously known for his internalized acting, would often mumble dialogues or make several, tiny noises even while speaking - no two takes were alike. But I would say what I found beautiful to watch from behind the camera was when it was so internal that he would be completely still and the emotion seemed to waft from his being. He would be so completely present in the moment that in the stillness there would be a great deal of dynamism. I think this is what made his performances so compelling.”



Showering praise on the late actor for perfectly delivering the humorous scenes, Tanuja adds, “I also really liked one unique quality of Irrfan and that was his interpretation of comedy. There was a kind of quiet panic in his humor. As if the character - in this case, Yogi’s heart was pumping and he didn’t know what the heck to do but he would silently, with subtlety go ahead and do something anyway! This instantly made the moment funnier.” ‘Qarib Qarib Singlle’ was much applauded by the audience, with Irrfan received a lot of praise for his act of Yogi in the film.



Irrfan Khan passed away on April 29, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Sutapa and sons – Babil and Ayaan.