Sutapa Sikdar says she wants to write a book on Irrfan, wants it to be a ‘funny journey’

Late actor Irrfan’s wife, writer Sutapa Sikdar has expressed her desire to pen a book on the late actor’s personality. She added in a new interview that whenever that book happens, she does not intend to go on a ‘sentimental journey’.

Sutapa’s wish to write a book on Irrfan

Irrfan, who was regarded as on of the best actors in the industry, died from a rare form of cancer at the age of 54 in April 2020. A new book on Irrfan titled, ‘Irrfan Khan: A Life in Movies’ was released on June 7. It was during the launch of this book when Sutapa expressed her wish of writing a book on him to explore his funny side.

Sutapa’s comments

According to news agency PTI, Sutapa said, “I want it to be a funny journey, which I shared with him. People take him as a very intimidating and very serious kind of a person but he was not in real life. The book is not ready at all (but it will be ready) sometime.”

Meanwhile, Irrfan: A Life in Movies, which is written by film critic Subhra Gupta, offers a deep dive into the journey of the late actor right from his National School of Drama days and follows his rise as an actor in the Hindi film industry. Talking about his priority while choosing a film, Sutapa also added, “He was not a practising Muslim but one word he strongly caught in Islam was ‘niyat’ (intent). So, ‘niyat’ was so strong in his personality and in life. Like, what is our intent about telling the story? It has to be transparent and honest, and that was foremost for him.

“In a film script, (the story) can’t be preachy. It has to be entertaining, people must get entertained but at the same time, the intention should be there,” she said.

Irrfan died in April, 2020 after a two-year-long battle with neuroendocrine tumour. He is survived by wife Sutapa and sons Babil Khan and Yuvaan Khan. Babil made his acting debut last year with Netflix’s Qala. After his death, Sutapa had penned a heartfelt note about their journey together. She wrote, “Ours was not a marriage, it was a union. I see my little family, in a boat, with both my sons Babil and Ayaan, paddling it forward, with Irrfan guiding them ‘wahan nahi, yahan se modo (don’t take a turn from there but from here)’ but since life is not cinema and there are no retakes.”