Filmmaker Tanuja Chandra recently opened up about her experience working with the late Irrfan, describing it as “beautiful, difficult.” Reflecting on their collaboration for the 2017 romantic comedy Qarib Qarib Singlle, on The Pooja Bhatt Show, Tanuja said: “Working with Irrfan was beautiful, difficult. He’s not easy. He wouldn’t like to do too many takes because he used to think that the spontaneity would go away.”
Tanuja also recalled how Irrfan took a whole year to agree to the film. “He took one year to say yes, till I finally said, ‘You know, Irrfan, if it’s not going to happen, maybe another time.’ So his wife (Sutapa Sikdar) said, ‘Let’s make it with someone else.’ ‘We’ll make it with Farhan. We’ll make it with Farhan. Will you make it with Farhan?’ This is what Irrfan said,” Tanuja recounted. She highlighted how involved he was in preparing for the role, with Sutapa sharing stories of him walking around the house at 3 a.m., saying his dialogues out loud while practicing.
The director also spoke about humorous moments on set. “And, you know, at the time of dubbing, I remember my poor sound designer—he’d say, ‘Irrfan ji, speak a little louder.’ ‘Why? Can’t you hear me?’” She added a lighter memory from a preview of the film back in 2017: “I’m short, you know, it’s difficult to compose both of us together in one frame. So I was like, ‘I’m so short, the frame is getting ruined.’ He said, ‘After this film, I feel that you’re really tall.’”
Qarib Qarib Singlle starred Irrfan and Parvathy Thiruvothu, with Neha Dhupia in a cameo, and followed two contrasting personalities, Yogi and Jaya, who meet through a dating app and rediscover themselves while revisiting their past.
Irrfan, diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2018, passed away in 2020 after a long battle with the illness. Remembered for seamlessly bridging critically acclaimed and mainstream cinema, he remains one of Indian cinema’s most cherished talents. For Tanuja, directing him was a rare experience—challenging, unforgettable, and profoundly rewarding.
