Bollywood known as ‘item number’ abroad: Irrfan Khan

Actor feels the world’s perception about B-town needs to change.

ABU DHABI: Irrfan Khan, who has been in the news for his work in the highly-acclaimed low-budget movie The Lunchbox, feels that Indian cinema needs to speak a universal language and change the world’s perception about Bollywood being an ‘item number.’

“We cannot continue being known as item number film-makers. Bollywood is known as an item number, and we have to change that,” Irrfan said. “We have to connect with a universal audience in a way that they think there is an interesting kind of cinema coming out of India.”

“We need to find a universal language, which I think The Lunchbox has done in a big way, and Qissa will also be able to strike a chord with,” added the 46-year-old.

Irrfan’s work takes him around the globe — he works in the international arena and his appeal stems from the fact that his movies are a breath of fresh air for an audience for whom Bollywood has only provided films full of songs and dances.

He has delivered powerful performances in movies such as The Namesake and Oscar-winning films Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi. On his home turf, he has amassed accolades for movies like Maqbool and Paan Singh Tomar.

The actor recently starred in The Lunchbox — a unique, simple story of an exchange of notes and thoughts between a lonely man and a lovelorn lady via a lunchbox. It is a moving tale that has been appreciated in festival circuits around the world. Qissa, screened at the seventh Abu Dhabi Film Festival (ADFF), seems to be working up the same magic.

Qissa is not a light-hearted drama. According to Irrfan, “It is meant to shake you, not please you”, but the Punjabi movie has a “universal” quality which allowed its multi-layered message to transcend to a multi-ethnic audience at ADFF.

“We need to find a way of telling stories where a universal audience finds itself engaged in storytelling. That is the one thing we have not been doing,” said Irrfan, who believes the onus is on established directors and producers. “There are new directors who are trying to tackle subjects that weren’t dealt with earlier. Madras Cafe is an example because we don’t make political films [often enough]. That’s a well-made movie,” he added.

Along with the change in the nature of subjects and storytelling, India also needs a renewed understanding of the importance of an Oscar, advised the versatile actor. The Lunchbox was initially a frontrunner for the country’s selection for the foreign language film category at the Academy Awards this year. However, the Gujarati film The Good Road was the final submission over The Lunchbox. Irrfan is not complaining, but he believes a larger understanding of the ballgame needs to persist.

“You can’t make a film and sit in your room and watch it. You have to change the perception about Indian cinema when you go to a universal audience, and what better way is there to say that your film is universally accepted than [winning an] Oscar,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 13^th, 2013.

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