Although a quote by Yann Martel, this heart-wrenching bittersweet dialogue was delivered by Irrfan Khan in the movie Life of Pi and after his untimely and utterly unfortunate demise on 29th April, these lines will be forever be known for the emotions with which Khan enlivened it. Known internationally for his work in films like Jurrasic World (2015), Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Life of Pi (2012), Khan’s acting contribution in Hollywood is a mere trailer into the grandeur of his irreplaceable legacy. Nothing short of listing his entire filmography here would do justice to him. But to get a justifying true picture of his avalanching mastery in the World of Cinema, The Lunchbox (2013), Maqbool (2003) and The Namesake (2006) are some of the films one could look into.
Of all things Irrfan is and will always be known for, the effortless natural quality he brought to his characters on-screen would be worth mentioning. He was one of the few who had mastered the art of acting so well that it was no longer a performance but a character living through his physical body. Perhaps that’s when you realize that to breathe life into an imaginary thing, so much so that by the end the one becomes a sum of all the characters he has embodied, is an occurrence which only happens once in a lifetime.
Irrfan however, also opens a gateway into a new world of many such artists not only in India but also across the globe, who are known for their limited work in the Western cinema and not for the impeccable mastery they have achieved through decades of work in their own lands. Some of the other Indian actors who have done notable work in Hollywood include Amitabh Bachchan, known as the Shahanshah (King of Kings) of Bollywood in The Great Gatsby, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Bride and Prejudice, The Pink Panther, The Last Legion and Mistress of Spices, Anupam Kher in Silver Linings Playbook, Bend It Like Beckham and New Amsterdam, Om Puri in East is East, The Hundred-Foot Journey and City of Joy. The list is long and includes many others such as Tabu, Amrish Puri, Naseeruddin Shah and Lillette Dubey.
However, the length of this incomplete list raises a concern about the amount of talent which has either received none or limited and back-burner international recognition. International recognition is definitely not a measure of success and respect due to any artist but simply, a sense of awareness about the beautiful art and its creators which exist silently amidst us. The Indian film industry is the biggest in the world based upon the total output of its various multi-lingual regional branches, with a box office revenue amounting to 123.7 billion Indian rupees in 2018 and approximately 2,000 films produced in various languages every year. Yet, very few of these films have secured a name for themselves and the century-old legacy of Indian cinema in the Western lands.
As audience and consumers of art, without the difference of nationality or any other socially constructed category, is it not unfair to be devoid of the genius which exists outside of our immediate surroundings? I thought it was when I first discovered Hollywood, Korean, French, Spanish and Italian filmmaking and I still think it is because of every other film industry and form I am unaware of. But the recognition of my unawareness in and of itself is the beginning of a journey of growth and expansion which only art can provide. It is a journey which charters new territories of emotions, relatability and wisdom with every film I watch and read about. It is a journey which opens your heart inch-by-inch with every frame and dialogue. It is a journey of millions of stories waiting to be heard and understood. It is a journey I feel, everyone should take; not for the sake of recognition of art or artists but for themselves and the part within them which wants to grow out of the soil and towards the sun.