When Bollywood star Irrfan Khan met Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo

The two actors ran into each other at a NYC restaurant

Soon after the success of the Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, actor Irrfan Khan once happened to be sitting in the same restaurant as Mark Ruffalo in New York, hoping to interact with the Hollywood star but to no avail. As the Avengers: Endgame hero was about to leave, a disappointed Khan was met with surprise when Ruffalo himself recognised him, came forth and complimented his work.

The incident that took place perhaps around 2010 is one of the many anecdotes mentioned in Aseem Chhabra's Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star - a biographical work on the 53-year-old actor, reported Hindustan Times.

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According to the book, Khan and Indian director-screenwriter Aditya Bhattacharya were once having a brunch at a well-known restaurant in New York City with producer Leslie Holleran (The Cider House Rules, 1999 and Chocolat, 2000). This was the year after the success of Slumdog Millionaire.

"Suddenly, Irrfan elbowed Aditya. He had noticed that actor Mark Ruffalo was sitting on the next table. But he was there with a large group of people, perhaps his family. Irrfan told Aditya that he was a big fan of Mark’s and somehow wanted an introduction. I asked Leslie if she knew him and she said she did, but she didn't feel like walking up to Mark,” Aditya says in the book. “She said it didn't look right. But I could also see Irrfan thinking, 'Hello toh bolte hain' (Let's at least say hello)’.”

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He continues, "When we were leaving, Irrfan looked disappointed but then something incredible happened. Mark saw him, put his hand forward and said, 'Hey, man, I love your work.’ And Irrfan probably saw sparkling lights all over'."

Brought out by Rupa Publications, Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star is a third biography of an Indian cine-star by Chhabra, who has previously come out with works on the late Shashi Kapoor in 2016 and Priyanka Chopra in 2018.

The book draws largely from personal interviews of people and artistes associated with the actor, throughout his journey from a small household in Rajasthan's Tonk to drama school in Delhi to Mumbai and then becoming a globally recognised artiste.

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