Mumbai, Oct 9 (NationPress) Filmmaker Tanuja Chandra shared her insights on working with the late actor Irrfan Khan, characterizing the experience as “beautiful yet challenging.” She mentioned that he preferred not to do numerous takes, believing that too many could diminish the spontaneity of the performance.

Tanuja, who collaborated with Irrfan in the 2017 romantic comedy “Qarib Qarib Singlle,” had a conversation with actress-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt on “The Pooja Bhatt Show.”

A clip from this discussion was shared on Instagram, captioned: “In this episode, filmmaker & writer Tanuja Chandra takes us through the many lives she’s lived in cinema & beyond.”

“She reflects on the creation of #Tamanna and #Zakhm, her special bond with the legendary Anand Bakshi, insights gained from failures, the making of Dushman, the profound wisdom of Irrfan Khan, the heartfelt creation of #Sur with Lucky Ali, and lessons learned from @auntysudhaauntyradha on the iHeartradio app @iheartpodcast @applepodcasts @spotify @spotifyindia or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Come for the honesty. STAY for the fire.”

In the clip, Chandra spoke candidly about Irrfan Khan, stating: “Working with Irrfan was beautiful, difficult. He’s not easy. He wouldn't like to do too many takes because he felt that the spontaneity would fade away.”

She recounted his year-long deliberation before joining the project.

“He took a year to agree, until I finally suggested, ‘You know, Irrfan, if it’s not going to happen, maybe another time.’ Then his wife chimed in, ‘Let’s work with someone else.’ ‘We’ll make it with Farhan. Will you make it with Farhan?’ This is what Irrfan said,” Chandra remembered.

She also recounted some light-hearted moments on set, including challenges during dubbing and framing scenes together.

“And, during dubbing, I recall my poor sound designer saying, ‘Irrfan ji, speak a little louder.’ ‘Why? Can’t you hear me?’”

“I remember during a preview, there was an interview happening, and since he was tall and I’m short, it was tough to frame us both in one shot. So I said, ‘I’m so short, the frame is getting ruined.’ He replied, ‘After this film, I feel that you’re really tall.’”

On the subject of Qarib Qarib Singlle, the film features Irrfan Khan and Parvathy Thiruvothu in leading roles, with Neha Dhupia making a cameo. The storyline follows two contrasting characters, Yogi and Jaya, who connect through a dating app and embark on a journey to rediscover themselves while revisiting their past.

The talented Irrfan Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2018. In 2020, he began treatment for a colon infection caused by the illness. Tragically, he passed away the day after being hospitalized at the age of 53. His mother, Saeeda Begum, who was 93, had passed away just four days earlier in Jaipur.