Irrfan Khan brought to the art of acting an inner truth and finesse rarely seen before in Indian cinema. As a man, he won the trust and affection of everybody who came in contact with him. As an actor, he inspired a diverse range of younger actors to abandon deception and remain true to their own selves.

Anup Singh, the director of two critically acclaimed films with Irrfan, takes us on a unique journey with this exceptional man and actor. In this book, he offers an intimate glimpse into the working relationship between a director and an actor as they trudge through mutual wariness, uncertainties, and blunders to a friendship founded firmly in creativity. As we travel with them to Punjab and Rajasthan and watch them at work on their films, we see in minute detail the devotion to hard work and the openness to uncertainty that make Irrfan’s performances so hypnotising.

Anup Singh brings to life each encounter—whether with a hesitant co-actor or a love-struck crew member, a grove that seems to speak to Irrfan, a desert sky teeming with cranes circling overhead, a starving bullock ready to attack—that inspired and energised the gifted actor to continue his passionate dialogue with himself, his audience and the world. 

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“Irrfan Khan. The intensity. The responsibility of the intensity. The silent righteousness of the responsibility. The eloquent eyes of his silent righteousness. If I were to present an actor whose mere appearance could speak its mind with sophisticated elegance, I’d instantly point to Irrfan Khan.”
Amitabh Bachchan

“I cried, I laughed, but most importantly, I felt held as I turned the pages of this book. Held by the extraordinary kinship of two wonderful men.”
Tillotama Shome

“This book is a many-splendored thing—a record of Irrfan and Anup’s enduring friendship, a perspective on the artistry of the actor and an insight into the magic of movie-making.”
Anupama Chopra

“No one could have brought Irrfan alive in the intuitive way that Anup does, with his achingly poetic and overwhelmingly cinematic book.”
Namrata Joshi

“This is not just a book. It is magic.”
The Hindustan Times

“A filmmaker’s hauntingly beautiful recollection of his actor, friend.”
Firstpost

“It is a close-up of the actor, rather than the long shots of how others saw him and worked with him.”
The Wire