Irrfan Khan's Life of Pi co-star Adil Hussain shares memory of them walking down the streets of Mumbai

If there's one thing we all need to know about late actor Irrfan Khan, that is -- he wasn't a serious man as his films have made him out to be. He was a patient listener, and he never missed an opportunity to enjoy a good laugh, even if that meant cracking a PJ. 

Only when he talked about acting he would widely resemble his characters on screen.  He was like an actor whose greatest subject in life became acting itself. He later went on to become a popular face from India in the West. Life of Pi had been one of his Hollywood projects which was widely appreciated. During a telephonic interaction with IB Times India, his co-star from the film, Adil Hussain talked about the days when they would walk down the streets of Mumbai after having dinner at a local joint. 

'The role that he played and the moment that he tried to embody there's so much of truth'

Actually, on the contrary, I haven't met Irrfan more than three times or maybe four times during the Life of Pi making, that's all. The only thing I feel connected to him so much is his work. And also the fact that he is from National School of Drama, he graduated from there and left behind a fantastic legacy of his work and the work that I have seen doing on screen, and especially very few films and the most important film according to me, was Namesake. The film changed my view, he sort of clung into my life. The Incredibly truthful acting and vulnerability that he managed to...not managed but dared to show in front on camera, I have seen very few actors in the country and outside the country have the courage to show that.

'I was quickly devastated when I heard that he died'

Namesake became one of my favourites, of course, later I have seen other films like The Lunchbox, and some popular films I have seen where he was there. He was extraordinarily good in Qissa, very few actors can pull it off, with top credibility and the truthfulness of the role that he played and the moment that he tried to embody there's so much of truth. I was quickly devastated when I heard that he died. I knew he was suffering from illness, but I felt that he would survive that, I wished that he would survive that and come back. I was very shocked, I felt like someone punched in my heart.

'Strength is easy to show, but to show your weaknesses...that's a very rare quality'

Whenever I think of him I feel very sad, it is rare that it has happened to me with any actor. With him it is such...I was trying to analyse because I was not friends with him and I didn't know him personally, but still, I felt that the reason I was trying to analyse that was because of the kind of acting, no I would say the kind of sheer...Ummm I don't know what else...it was, of course, a personal loss but why a personal loss? We are trying to find that. Why do I feel that personal loss? As an actor, I felt that it is very difficult for any actor to sort of open the window of his vulnerability, of your weaknesses and strengths.

That's why there are good actors and there are great actors, extraordinary actors

Strength is easy to open but weaknesses...to bare yourself in front of hundreds and thousands of people that you do on camera, that is a very rare quality. That's why there are good actors and there are great actors, extraordinary actors. The more you can show your soul, the more you can bare yourself in front of the camera, without any fear with absolute vulnerability, and you become more acceptable to people and people find a way to connect with you, then they feel deeply enough, to feel your death as a personal loss. I think that's what has happened with me and Irrfan.

'We were jumping up and down the street on the footpath'

Yes, I have a personal memory (with Irrfan). We were in Bombay, and Tabu was there of course, him and me, all of us we were walking on the streets of Bombay and we were coming back after dinner at a local joint. We had gone out for dinner that night. We had an interaction with the press that day. We were jumping up and down the street on the footpath, (laughs) and it was like a childlike fun. That's the only time I had met him properly, on the streets, all of us and we clicked photographs on the street, all of us. He was extremely warm and fun. He was... that's the thing about him, that's the quality of his warmth and a true human interaction which he had shared.