Published By: Sayan Paul

Irrfan's Birth Anniversary: The UNTOLD Story - How He Became A Part Of 'Slumdog Millionaire'

In Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire', Irrfan played the role of a police inspector.

For many in the West, Irrfan was the ambassador of Indian cinema. Precisely, as Peter Bradshaw put it, he was "a distinguished and charismatic star in Hindi and English-language films whose hardworking career was an enormously valuable bridge between South Asian and Hollywood cinema". Now, as you may know, that had started with 'Slumdog Millionaire' where he played a brief role but created a monumental impact. The 2008 British Drama film directed by Danny Boyle was a massive success both critically and commercially, catapulting him to unprecedented fame worldwide. It paved his way to several other international projects such as 'The Amazing Spider-Man', 'Life of Pi', 'Jurassic World', and 'Inferno'.

(Credit: The Academy)

Without an iota of doubt, Irrfan was a major part of ‘Slumdog Millionaire' - but not many know how he had bagged his role. Today, on his 57th birth anniversary, let's learn that story in this article.

'Just Get That Guy'

Before 'Slumdog Millionaire' happened, Irrfan had already become a stalwart of Indian cinema. And consequently, his acting prowess became quite the topic of fascination in the West. So, when director Danny Boyle was finalizing the cast of his film, a studio executive told him to "just get that guy", referring to Irrfan.

In Boyle's words, "Peter Rice of Fox Searchlight, who as a friend before he was involved in the film told me cast Irrfan Khan in it, whether there was a role for him or not, he said: ‘Just get that guy’.”

(Credit: Greens Live)

The acclaimed director then saw a few films of the late Indian actor and was convinced that he was perfect for that role. The rest, as they say, is history!

The ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ team at the Oscars

When Danny Boyle Spoke About Irrfan's Work In 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Well, Boyle has time and again spoken about how extraordinary an actor Irrfan was, and how he added value to 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

In an interview with BBC (after Irrfan's demise), the British filmmaker said, "Irrfan was a wonderful actor and was a pivotal figure in the making of Slumdog Millionaire. It wasn't a huge role and, in fact, on paper it was even less rewarding looking. But Irrfan saw the possibility of guiding our audience with his dignity, his grace, his charm, his intelligence, and his calmness, through this crossword puzzle of a, an idea of a film."

(Credit: Brut India)

Amit Sial Was First Offered The Role?

During an exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, 'Mirzapur' actor Amit Sial said that he had been offered Irrfan's role in 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

According to the actor, he was first approached for Dev Patel’s elder brother Salim’s character, which was ultimately played by Madhur Mittal. In his words, “I remember Danny Boyle had come for Slumdog Millionaire to me and we were supposed to do a film. But later he said that the part I auditioned for looked a bit older for that. I was desperate to do it so I assured him that I would lose weight and look young for the par. He then said something amazing to me. Later, he said a very beautiful thing, ‘We know you can do it, but what about the maturity? You have so many years of experience, how will you reduce that when you act? You’ll end up just acting.’”

"Then I was offered the role of the police inspector, which was later played by Irrfan. I didn’t understand its importance in the script at that time. I thought, ‘This character doesn’t seem to be doing anything at all, he just asks questions. He even insisted that I do that role but I didn’t do it. Then I saw Irrfan Khan doing the role and creating magic in it. But I think whatever happens, is for the best.”