‘Interstellar’ to ‘Body of Lies’: Hollywood films turned down by Irrfan Khan

Irrfan Khan was an actor extraordinaire and his choice of films give testimony of his extensive repertoire. He was not just a celebrated star in India but was considered one of the best actors to have made a mark across borders, in Hollywood. From ‘Life of Pi’ to ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and 'Inferno' – Irrfan’s list of Hollywood films was indeed impressive, but did you know he had turned out some big offers too.

Irrfan was reportedly approached to play a part in Steven Spielberg’s next venture, wherein he would share screen space with Scarlett Johansson. While speaking to a news portal the actor reasoned that he didn’t feel the character he was offered gave him much scope.

Irrfan Khan had to turn down yet another chance of working with Ridley Scott. He was offered ‘The Martian’ but couldn’t sign up for it because of his Bollywood commitment. While he would have got an opportunity to work with Matt Damon, the actor had already blocked his dates for the shoot of ‘Piku’. “It was a lengthy, pivotal role (Ridely Scott’s ‘The Martian’) but I had already committed the dates to Shoojit Sircar for Piku,” Irrfan had told Mumbai Mirror.

Previously, Irrfan made a tough call of turning down Christopher Nolan’s ‘Interstellar’. He had told BT in an interview, “They expected a huge commitment from my end. I had to stay in the US for four months at a stretch. I tried to work out my schedule and suggested if I could shuttle between India and the US as it wouldn’t have been possible for me to be there for that long. I wanted to be here for The Lunchbox and D-Day. They couldn’t allow that. I don’t have a tendency to regret what I do, but knowing it’s a Christopher Nolan film, I can say that this has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made.”

A decade ago, Irrfan Khan had rejected an opportunity to work with Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor had to turn down Ridley Scott, who had offered him a role in ‘Body of Lies’. Irrfan would have shared the frame with Hollywood acting aces like Leonardo DiCaprio and Russel Crowe. However he turned it down and according to a news portal, Irrfan said that the reason was that it simply didn’t work out. The role later went to Mark Strong.