Irrfan Khan: In our cinema, sometimes acting is not required

As per the recent reports, Irrfan Khan is set to finalize his first film as a producer. Currently, the actor is gearing up for Vishal Bhardwaj’s directorial which will go on floors in March. The film also has Deepika Padukone in the lead role.

In an interview with a leading Indian daily, Irrfan Khan spoke about the value of formal training in the field of acting. He said, “When I dreamed of becoming an actor, I knew I had to learn the craft. I never thought of just landing in Mumbai and start struggling to get a part. So that clarity I had from the beginning- that I had to learn the craft, before knocking on any doors.”

Irrfan also stressed on the fact that physique, looks and public relations are given more importance than acting. He said, “In our cinema, sometimes acting is not required. That’s the reality. You don’t really need to know acting to become a star. So that’s why they think the way they do. If you have cinema where acting becomes crucial, then everybody would go and learn acting.”

Speaking about getting formally trained in acting, the actor said, “It depends on what kind of acting you want to do. Sometimes, people have no formal training and yet, they are excellent actors. Some people have formal training, but they couldn’t become an actor. In my case, (training) definitely helped. Had I not been to a drama school, I wouldn’t have been doing this kind of work.”