Irrfan, get well soon, my friend  

The worst fears about Irrfan Khan health have come true. He has not recovered from his serious illness which put him off work and into intense medical treatment for more than a year. He returned to India in September 2019 after his treatment . But signed only one film after his return.

The lucky producer was Dinesh Vijan who managed to get Irrfan to do English Medium the sequel to the 2017 hit Hindi Medium.

No. The third film won’t be called Hinglish Medium. I doubt there will be a third film. Irrfan’s health remains precarious. I am told he doesn’t intend to do any more films for now. Not until he has fully recovered. The video that he released on Wednesday very clearly has him telling his fans that he won’t be in the work mode for some time now because of his health.

And no, he is not promoting Angrezi Medium. This is Irrfan’s third film in a row after Blackmail and Karwaan which he won’t promote. Both the film had a tough time selling themselves to the audience since he was the face of both products. In Irrfan’s absence Blackmail was left with no face value and Karwaan had to make do with Dulquer Salman who is sadly not a star in Hindi cinema.

Angrezi Medium has Kareena Kapoor Khan to promote the film.So the makers can breathe easy. But I can tell you this. Irrfan is not happy with being left out of the promotions. He was confident that with this release , he would be able to make up for lost time. But what is it that they say about man proposing and God disposing?

The last time I spoke to Irrfan was two years ago in January 2018 . He was very excited about the future.

“The most interesting thing was, I was honoured at the Dubai International Film Festival along with Cate Blanchett who is my most favourite actor.So it couldn't get any better for me,” he had told me enthusiastically.

He was also thrilled as hell about winning awards in the popular categories for Hindi Medium. “I am happy that the bridge has been crossed from'critic' to 'popular' on my own terms .I didn't have to go the so-called massy route. For Hindi Medium the entire effort went into making an aspirational but fantastic story into a relatable tale… I am happy of the audiences’ need now to watch fresher and newer content ,hence it’s becoming easier to reach a wider audience a mass audience through my kind of films.So at this juncture its all coming together and happening organically.”

Kisiki nazar lag gayi, Irrfan. I miss talking to you. But I understand your need for privacy. Until we talk again I will connect with you through your performances. You don’t play characters. You own them.