Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan (7 January 1967 – 29 April 2020), known professionally as Irrfan Khan, was an Indian actor who worked in the Hindi cinema as well as British and American films. He was one of the finest actors in Indian cinema, Khan’s career spanned over 30 years and earned him numerous accolades, including a National Film Award, an Asian Film Award, and four Filmfare Awards. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honor. These memorable Irrfan Khan quotes will inspire us in life.
Best Irrfan Khan Quotes
- “Sometimes when you’re playing a very intense character, a disturbed character, you find other layers. That’s much more interesting to me, rather than just playing ‘intense.’ I find it too boring.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Relations don’t come with a guarantee card.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I want to entertain people, but with some substance.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Cinema is changing every week, and multiplex audiences are demanding every week.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I did experience frustration at some point. But I concentrated on getting comfortable with my craft instead. Though I didn’t enjoy doing television much, I used it as a learning ground. Envy and frustration make one feel caged. It’s been a personal battle not to fall into this trap because if you give in to it, the noose only gets tighter.” – Irrfan Khan
- “The fire of pride is more dangerous than acid … once it burns you then the marks appear straight on the soul.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I’ve realized that my… let me call it ‘destiny’ or some force that has pushed me to identify looking for your comfort zone as a kind of limitation. And everybody has a tendency to fall into the comfort zone. I did that in the early stage of my career.” – Irrfan Khan
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“We pray for our loved ones.” – Irrfan Khan
- “A nation needs to know how to utilize talent.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Maybe to become famous is to reassure yourself that whatever you’re lacking inside, you’ve fulfilled that.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Hollywood isn’t ready for an Indian leading man.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Our Bollywood stars who talk of being part of 100 crore films, I think I belong to the 1,000 crore club.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I can recite poetry, but I cannot write it.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Do yourself a favor. Before it’s too late, without thinking too much about it first, pack a pillow and a blanket and see as much of the world as you can. You will not regret it. One day it will be too late.” – Irrfan Khan, Irrfan Khan quotes from The Namesake
- “You cannot expect a film to change your life. Whenever I planned, I ended up getting disappointed. Things have always happened out of the blue for me—as in the case of The Warrior, Haasil, and The Namesake. In fact, I was reluctant to go to the auditions for Warrior. Even in the case of The Namesake, I thought it wouldn’t touch people the way Monsoon Wedding had. But its effect was incredible.” – Irrfan Khan
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“Luck has one important aspect … that it changes.” – Irrfan Khan
- “When a person’s dream breaks, then the person breaks down as well.” – Irrfan Khan
- “It’s always an inner wish of every actor to reach out to maximum audiences.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Many times small-small mistakes cause a big loss.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I am lucky that the Western world chooses me to play roles in their movies an television, whatever language it may be.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Language does not make one an elite.” – Irrfan Khan
- “One must not celebrate before the work is complete … it spells bad luck.” – Irrfan Khan
- “This headmaster is a businessman … and these days education has turned into a business.” – Irrfan Khan
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“A wounded friend is more dangerous than the enemy.” – Irrfan Khan
- “What happens with every role, you have to trick yourself, you have to creatively find ways to explore the mental state of your character.” – Irrfan Khan
- “It surely gives you a high to be an international actor with quality work.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I can’t think of a more pathetic situation for an actor than to do a film and not connect to it. And I pray to God that I never face that situation.” – Irrfan Khan
- “There are two types of hobbies … one which ends over a period of time … and second that turns into your mission over a period of time.” – Irrfan Khan
- “We come from an aristocratic family of nawabs. But I don’t believe in khandaan and such things. It’s not fair to feel proud of lineage. You are all about your karma.” – Irrfan Khan
- “When you come out of the theatre and you don’t even talk about that film or remember it, then it disappoints me.” – Irrfan Khan
- “A film engages you emotionally and intellectually.” – Irrfan Khan
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“The sign of a good society is where talent is respected.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I can’t approach a woman and express my desire. As a teen, I did try that but I got such a nasty look. I don’t have the skills to be easy with a woman. And if you happen to like the girl, you tend to get even more conscious…I appreciate a woman who is not panic-driven, has a silence about her, and doesn’t take herself too seriously.” – Irrfan Khan, Irrfan Khan quotes on love
- “The intoxication of money is more dangerous than the intoxication of drugs.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I don’t want to do romantic roles where I have to lip-sync to a song. A role that explores romance on a new level would suit me.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Beauty makes the whole world dance around it.” – Irrfan Khan
- “In childhood, a child holds our finger and walks so that they don’t get lost in the crowd … and the day they leave our finger … it feels as if we’ve lost ourselves … but there’s a point in this my friend … until the child leaves your finger … they won’t be able to come and embrace you.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Whom are you angry at … angry at men … angry at people … angry at fate … angry at God?” – Irrfan Khan
- “I’ve played many characters that have consumed me and owned me.” – Irrfan Khan
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“If money is no God … then it is neither less than God.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I will only do a Hollywood film when there is something special offered to me.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I am not ready to fit into the mold of commercial cinema.” – Irrfan Khan
- “True beauty doesn’t need appreciation … just the applause of the eyes is more than enough for it.” – Irrfan Khan
- “The flip side is that often one gets stuck in similar roles and an actor tends to get bored. You could stop enjoying your work. The other downside is that people get disconnected from reality. They start dwelling in a different space. Getting habituated to the recognition doesn’t allow you to grow. The self-obsession is dangerous.” – Irrfan Khan, Irrfan Khan quotes on the flip side of being an actor
- “I’m trying to strike a balance between Bollywood and Hollywood.” – Irrfan Khan
- “You cannot reduce the power of story with the tag of money because it’s not a share market. So you must know the seriousness of the power of storytelling.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Death and shit … these two things can come to anyone, anywhere, anytime.” – Irrfan Khan, Irrfan Khan quotes from Piku
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“Not only can humans be wrong … even the time can be wrong” – Irrfan Khan
- “When you are young you are fascinated by so many things. Some things drop, some stay. I can be without anything but I cannot be without nature.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I cannot live anywhere else except India.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Lines are very strange … when they are drawn on the skin then it removes blood out … and when they are drawn on the land then it makes borders.” – Irrfan Khan
- “I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.” – Irrfan Khan, Irrfan Khan quotes from Life of Pi
- “The air of big cities and the water in small cities … are very dangerous.” – Irrfan Khan
- “The biggest move of a devil is that he never comes in the front.” – Irrfan Khan
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“Those who run once … they keep running forever.” – Irrfan Khan
- “If a French person or a German person speaks bad English … then we have no problem with that … but if an Indian person speaks bad English … then that person seems bad to us.” – Irrfan Khan, Irrfan Khan quotes from Hindi Medium
- “Everyone has to go empty-handed … money doesn’t go with anyone … it stays behind.” – Irrfan Khan
- “A person takes a wrong decision when his time is not right.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Money attracts money … when money connects with money then it gives birth to more money.” – Irrfan Khan
- “Mistakes are like relations … you don’t have to do them … they just happen.” – Irrfan Khan
