Irrfan Khan’s legacy is filled with powerful performances, but it’s the rare behind-the-scenes stories that reveal how deeply he lived every role. Actor Deepak Dobriyal, who worked with him on Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool, recently recalled an unforgettable moment where Irrfan lost his cool during a shoot – and it changed the tone of the set instantly.
A scene that wouldn’t come together
Dobriyal remembered filming a sequence where Piyush Mishra’s character is killed, and his body is brought to Irrfan’s house. “There was a scene where Kaka (Piyush Mishra) gets killed, and his body is brought to Irrfan bhai’s house,” he said. “As Irrfan bhai starts mourning, someone asks Om Puri saab where he found the body. And he says, ‘In the backyard of the haveli.’
But the way he pronounced ‘haveli’ made everyone laugh. The scene had to be cut.”
Soon, Om Puri began deliberately exaggerating the word, and even Naseeruddin Shah joined the fun. “A lot of fun was going on,” Dobriyal shared. “But the scene wasn’t coming together. One after the other, many takes happened.”
Irrfan’s rare outburst
For Irrfan, the repeated interruptions cut into the heavy mood of the scene. “You could see it was bothering Irrfan bhai. He was in character, fully present. But no one had the courage to say anything to Om ji or Naseer saab, they are legends,” Dobriyal recalled.
Finally, Irrfan broke the tension in his own way. “In the middle of a take, Irrfan bhai just exploded. He abused, right there during the shot. Then immediately, he apologised and said, ‘Sorry, I thought abusing would help me act.’”
The atmosphere shifted in seconds. “Both of them froze. The set suddenly became serious, and from that moment, the tone was set. We got the shot, and there were no more issues,” Dobriyal said with a laugh.
Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool (2003) is a cult classic that reimagines Shakespeare’s Macbeth against the backdrop of Mumbai’s underworld. Starring Irrfan Khan in the title role, with stellar performances from Tabu, Pankaj Kapur, Om Puri, and Naseeruddin Shah, the film blended crime, power, and passion into a gripping narrative. Known for its dark, layered storytelling and powerhouse acting, Maqbool is widely regarded as one of the finest adaptations of Shakespeare in Indian cinema.
.jpeg)
