Amid treatment for cancer, actor Khan finds a new perspective
LOS ANGELES - Irrfan Khan is a Bollywood star and Hollywood chameleon, who has bounced between the two with ease for decades, working with everyone from Mira Nair to Wes Anderson and Ang Lee and stealing scenes in both Oscar winners (“Slumdog Millionaire”) and blockbusters (“Jurassic World”) alike.
But all that’s been put on hold as he undergoes treatment in London for a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare form of cancer.
Although Khan’s life now is very different from only a few months ago, he still has films that he worked on as recently last year coming out, including “Puzzle,” a poignant character drama that opened in Milwaukee at the Landmark Downer Theatre Friday, and expands to more screens Aug. 24.
The indie film is about a stifled suburban housewife, played by Kelly Macdonald, who forms a bond with a more cosmopolitan man (Khan) over a shared fondness for puzzles. It’s one that the 51-year-old actor is immensely proud of, and eager to talk about, but, he also knows very keenly how unpredictable his life has become.
When I called him for our interview, he answered politely and informed me that he’d been hospitalized the night prior and asked if might be possible to call him back in 10 minutes. Of course, I said. This happened again, when Khan’s doctors came in to talk to him and he politely asked if we might pick it up the next day.
Below are excerpts from our conversations. Question: “Puzzle” is quite lovely, but also a small character drama — a bit of a departure from the bigger Hollywood films you’ve become known for.
Answer: I was looking for something for a long time in American cinema, Hollywood cinema . ... I was looking for something more personal and to redefine my involvement in a story, where my soul could entangle with this story. You want residue, you want it to last. So it had all that. And the simplicity of writing was fantastic. It was a complex situation, but I love that the way it comes out of the characters’ mouths is very simple. So I fell in love it with it and I shifted my schedule in India and said, “I’m going to do it.” It worked out and I really loved it.
Q: How are you doing in general?
A: I’ve seen life from a completely different angle. You sit down and you see the other side and that’s fascinating. I’m engaged on a journey.
Q: There’s been a lot of speculation in the media about your condition and you’ve made pleas on social media not to trust the reports. What do you want people to know about what you’re going through?
A: The problem with me initially was everyone was speculating whether I would be out of this disease or not. Because it’s not in my hand. That’s nature that will do whatever it has to do. What is in my hand, I could take care of that. And it offers so much that you feel thankful. The way it is opening your windows to look at life. I would have never reached that state even if I had done meditation for 30 years, I wouldn’t have reached it.