"I tried to understand the job of a RAW agent" - Irrfan Khan

Irrfan Khan has been one of the most
sought after actors owing to his strong
performance oriented roles. He has
always been one of critics' favourite and
recently won the National Award for his
stunning performance in Paan Singh Tomar. Now, the actor is back with the
crime thriller D-Day. Playing the role of a
RAW agent, Wali Khan, Irrfan is on a
mission to bring India's most wanted
man back to his country.

Who is Wali Khan?

Wali Khan is an agent who is residing in
Pakistan for a long time who is now
married and has a kid. He was ideally an
Indian who was sent to Pakistan by his
agency where he later found a mission
which he could hold on to. He is an interesting character as the audience is
often left in a mystery as it is difficult for
them to understand if the character is an
Indian or a Pakistani. He is a strong
character who has seen different phases
of life and enamored by it. Though he is a man on a mission, he is
often faced with
a dilemma where he is caught between
his mind and his heart.

Is Wali Khan the leader of the RAW
agents who are on a mission?

While I can't reveal much about the role,
I can say that every agent who is involved
in this mission has a lot at stake and they
all are fighting equally to fulfill their
mission. So I wouldn't claim that Wali
Khan is a leader amongst them.

What was the kind of research you went
through to be a RAW agent?

Most importantly, I tried to understand
the job of a RAW agent. Apart from
referring to various sources, Nikhil played
a very important role in helping me from
time to time. I asked him to provide me
with a lot of books and materials. I also asked him to set up
surroundings where I
could meet people. Nikhil was not just
co-operative with my demands but he
was as eager to learn about everything
as I was. Before writing the script, Nikhil
had gone through a lot of research and he was enthusiastic about sharing it with
every actor in the film. He wanted to
understand the mission and the nature of
our job perfectly. I think that was great.


Your role also includes a lot of action.
What kind of training did you go
through?

I was trained by Tom Struthers. It was a
systematic training and it took us almost
a month for it. It wasn't much related to
martial arts. It was more of fist fight and
gun fight. Gun fight is all about the
relationship between a man and a gun. Tom always said that 'it is not the gun
which kills me but the person behind it'.
We were taught as to how the gun
becomes a part of us. The training was
rigorous but I enjoyed each and every
part of it.


How was the shooting experience?

There were some emotional scenes
which I really enjoyed shooting. We shot
a major chunk in Ahmedabad. Out of
that, I think the Rann of Kutch was
excellent. We shot our climax in that area
and it was a very mysterious place. I saw it for the first time and I
loved it. Also,
there was a volatile market sequence in
the film. I remember it because it was
very difficult to shoot that particular
scene.

How was it working with so many co-
stars especially with the legendary Rishi
Kapoor?

I have been working with all of them for
the first time but I like working with a
lot of new people. I don't think I have any
favourite actors with whom I like to
work with. I keep on meeting different
kinds of people. All the actors respected the story and wanted to work
for it. It
was a great experience working with all
of them. Also, I enjoyed thoroughly
working with the legendary actor Rishi
Kapoor. It was outstanding. The
atmosphere was so lively all around.

How much of an action oriented film is D-
Day?

I won't say it's heavy on action. It's the
tension between the action that is very
unique. This is the first time you will
understand the kind of job that the
actors are involved in and the audience
will get a fair idea of what it is all about.

Do you feel a lot of pressure after
winning the National Award, when it
comes to expectations attached to your
films?

Pressure? No. But I surely feel
acknowledged about it. When it comes to
people expecting another National
Award from me, I would say that I can't
go around fulfilling all of their
expectations. But I do keep in mind while signing a film, if it is
engaging enough
for the audience. It's important for me to
entertain the audience. As far as the
victory is concerned, it doesn't change
the way you work. You work the way you
always do. But what it does, is giving you a satisfaction, that your
work is being
registered and acknowledged.

Paan Singh Tomar and now Wali Khan…
are you much more attracted to these
patriotic and action roles?

I would love to do all kind of roles. I
always keep looking for new material. I
can never stick to one kind of role.

Do you think the movie will trigger a kind
of revolution that will inspire the youth
to do something for their nation?

Actually, our main aim is to make an
engaging film. That's all! The
consequences of the film- what it will
trigger, how it will affect the audience is
something that none of us can foresee.
The whole idea behind making this film is just to engage the audience and
entertain them. What it does beyond
that, is not in our control.