Irrfan Khan

Sahabzade Irrfan Ali Khan, popularly known as Irrfan Khan, (Hindi: इरफ़ान ख़ान; born 30th November 1962) is an Indian actor in film, television and theatre. He received recognition for his roles in The Warrior (2001), Maqbool (2003), Haasil (2004), The Namesake (2006), A Mighty Heart (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Billu (2009) and New York (2009) , and New York, I Love You (2009), and Vodafone commercials. He has won two Filmfare Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Independent Spirit Award nomination.
Early life and background
Khan was born in Jaipur to a Muslim Nawab family. Khan's mother is Sayeeda Begum from Tonk Hakim Family and his father was the late Jagirdar of Khajuriya village near Tonk Dist.[2][3] He was studying for his M.A. degree when he earned a scholarship to study at National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi in 1984.

[edit] Career
After graduating in 1987, Khan moved to Mumbai, where he acted in numerous television serials like Chanakya, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta (Doordarshan), Star Bestsellers (Star Plus), and Sparsh. He was the main villain in a series called Darr (which aired on Star Plus), where he played the role of a psycho serial killer, opposite Kay Kay Menon. He also played the role of famous revolutionary Urdu poet and Marxist political activist of India Makhdoom Mohiuddin in Kahkashan produced by Ali Sardar Jafri.

He acted in some of the episodes of Star Bestsellers (aired on Star-Plus). In one of the episodes, his role was of a parchoon shopkeeper who has a misconception that his landlord's wife is trying to seduce him and it turns out that his own wife (Tisca Chopra) is cheating on him. In the other one, he played the role of an office-accountant who, after been insulted by his female boss, took revenge by making her mad. He also appeared in a serial called Bhanvar (aired on SET India) for two episodes. In one episode, he performed the role of a thug who somehow lands in court, where he presents himself as a lawyer.

Theatre and television kept him afloat until Mira Nair offered him a cameo in Salaam Bombay (1988) though his role was edited out in the final film.

In the 1990s he appeared in the critically acclaimed film Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Such a Long Journey (1998) and various other films which went unnoticed.

After many unsuccessful films, things changed when London-based director Asif Kapadia gave him the lead in The Warrior, a historical film completed in 11 weeks on location in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. In 2001 The Warrior opened in international film festivals, making Irrfan Khan a known face.

In 2003 he acted in Indian born writer-director, Asvin Kumar's short film, "Road to Ladakh". After the film received rave reviews[4] at international festivals, the film is now being made into a full length feature, again starring Irrfan Khan.[5] That same year he played the title role in the critically acclaimed Maqbool, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

His first Bollywood main lead role came in 2005 with film Rog. Thereafter he appeared in several films either playing the leading role or a supporting role as a villain. In 2004 he won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his role in film Haasil.

In 2007, he appeared in the box office hits Metro, for which he received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, and The Namesake. They were closely followed by his appearance in the international films A Mighty Heart and The Darjeeling Limited.

Even after becoming a successful actor in Bollywood, he has not severed his ties with television. He anchored a show Mano Ya Na Mano (airing on Star One). He hosted another programme named Kyaa Kahein which was similar to Mano Ya Na Mano.

In 2008, he was featured as a narrator in an Arts Alliance production, id - Identity of the Soul. The performance toured worldwide, with tens of thousands turning out to see the event as it toured the West Bank. He also plays the police inspector in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he and the cast of the movie won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

He featured in the movie Acid Factory. Khan has stated that he wants to do more and more action films in the future.[6] He also appeared as an FBI agent in New York and as a Gujarati diamond merchant in New York, I Love You. His future films include Paan Singh Tomar in which he will essay the role of real-life Rajput runner Paan Singh Tomar.

[edit] Personal life
Khan is married to writer Sutapa Sikdar who's also a NSD graduate and they have two children named Babil and Ayan.

He has two brothers, Imran Khan and Salman Khan and one sister Rukhsana Begum. They still live in Jaipur and run their businesses.

[edit] Awards and nominations
2003: Filmfare Best Villain Award - Haasil
2007: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award - Life in a Metro
2007: Independent Spirit Award: Best Supporting Male - The Namesake: Nominated
2008: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Slumdog Millionaire
2008: IIFA Award: IIFA Best Supporting Actor - Life in a Metro
2008: Stardust Best Supporting Actor Award - The Namesake
[edit] Filmography
Year Film Role Other notes
1988 Salaam Bombay Letter writer
1989 Kamla Ki Maut Ajit
1990 Drishti Rahul
Chanakya "Senapati" Bhadrashaal TV series
1991 Ek Doctor Ki Maut
1994 Banegi Apni Baat Zee TV series
2000 Ghaath Maamu
2001 The Warrior Lafcadia - Warrior
Kasoor Public Prosecutor
2002 Gunaah Police Inspector
2003 Haasil Ranvijay Singh Won, Filmfare Best Villain Award
Footpath Sheikh
Maqbool Maqbool
2004 Shadows of Time Yani Mishra Bengali/German film
Aan: Men at Work Yusuf Pathan
Charas Ranbhir Singh Rathore
2005 Chocolate: Deep Dark Secrets Pipi
Rog Inspector Uday Rathore
Chehraa Chandranath Diwan
7½ Phere Manoj
2006 Yun Hota To Kya Hota Salim Rajabali
The Killer Vikram/Roopchand Swaroopchand Solanki
Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante Krish Vaidya
Sainikudu Pappu Yadav
2007 A Mighty Heart Captain Screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival
Life in a Metro Monty Won, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.
The Namesake Ashoke Ganguli
The Darjeeling Limited The Father
Apna Asmaan Ravi Kumar
Aaja Nachle Farooque, Najma's husband
Partition Avtar
2008 "Road to Ladakh" Short film
Sunday Kumar
Krazzy 4 Dr. Mukherjee
Mumbai Meri Jaan Thomas
Slumdog Millionaire Police Inspector Won, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Chamku Mr Kapoor
Dil Kabaddi Samit
Sunday Kumar
2009 Acid Factory Kaizar
Billu Billu/Vilas Pardesi
New York Roshan (FBI Official)
New York, I Love You Mansuhkhbai
2010 Right Yaaa Wrong Vinay Patnaik
Paan Singh Tomar Paan Singh Tomar Releases 28 August 2010
Bhopal TBA
2011 Thank You Pre-production
Banker to the Poor TBA
Knock Out TBA