I love romantic roles: Irrfan Khan

The actor admits he loves the idea of romance on screen.

MUMBAI: He has rarely played a lover-boy on the big screen, but versatile Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan says he loves the romantic genre on screen.

“I love romance on screen. I did Yeh Saali Zindagi and Maqbool. I love to do romantic roles but I need to get a script which convinces me. I can’t fake myself in romance,” said Irrfan.

The actor will now be seen in Oscar-winning film-maker Ang Lee’s latest movie Life Of Pi alongside actor Tabu which is an adaptation of an eponymous novel by Yann Martel.

Irrfan says he had to capture Lee’s vision to play the elder Pi in the film, instead of adapting the character from the book.

“That was Yann’s version and this is Ang’s version. I was only concerned about Ang’s version. This is cinema and that was a book. I have to understand what Pi is from Ang’s vision as he is telling the story and I am part of that. I am not part of Yann’s part of the story,” he said.

The movie narrates the tale of a young boy named Pi, who is the only person to survive the sinking of a cargo ship. He finds himself on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger.

“This subject is very tough to be converted into film. It deals with so many issues. It’s almost impossible to shoot a tiger, boy and a boat in sea — it’s an immense challenge,” he admitted.

The movie is shot in 3D and the actor is hoping it will take the format to the next level.

“This is one of the films where you can see never-seen-before 3D in your life. 3D is a new medium and it needs exploration. Ang has taken 3D to the next level. I am not just talking about the effects, he has actually used 3D in a very poetic way. He has used it delicately,” the 45-year-old said. The film is all set to release November 23.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 5^th, 2012.            

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