Vidya Balan Recalls Working With Irrfan Khan in The Last Tenant

MUMBAI — Vidya Balan is remembering late actor Irrfan Khan after The Last Tenant, a film they shot 25 years ago, finally reached audiences.

Balan said she recently watched the film for the first time since shooting it and was struck again by Khan’s effortless screen presence.

“Watched The Last Tenant for the first time last night, since I shot for it 25 years ago. I shot for it and then, for some reason, it didn’t see the light of day,” Balan wrote on social media.

The film’s release also brought back memories of a difficult period early in her career, when several projects failed to move forward.

“This happened at a time when nothing I touched seemed to materialize. My first Malayalam film, Chakram, was shelved, following which I was replaced in almost a dozen films over a period of three years. To cut a long story short, like all the other things that didn’t work out at the time, I wanted to forget about it… so I did. I diligently shoved it under the carpet… until last week, when I received a text from director @sarthak_dasgupta informing me of its release on YouTube,” she wrote.

Balan said one memory that returned was her excitement over sharing the screen with Khan, whom she already admired from Banegi Apni Baat.

“And then one vague memory popped up. I remembered calling my sister, @priyabalances, excitedly from the set to tell her that I was shooting with Irrfan Khan from Banegi Apni Baat . I thought he was the most natural actor then, and I felt the same way last night… never a false note or tone,” Balan wrote.

She also said she regrets that she did not get more opportunities to work with Khan before his death, making The Last Tenant especially meaningful.

“And since Irrfan’s passing, I have rued the fact that a couple of films that would’ve had us play opposite each other didn’t materialize, for some reason or the other. But now I at least have The Last Tenant!! Thank you, sarthak_dasgupta…It took 25 years for our stars to align, my fellow Capricorn, #irrfankhan, but they did after all,” she wrote.

Khan, widely regarded as one of Indian cinema’s finest actors, died in 2020. The Last Tenant now gives audiences a rare chance to see an early collaboration between him and Balan. (Source: IANS)