After ‘Angrezi Medium’, Irrfan stays back in London to watch theatre at West End
Unlike several of his contemporaries, the versatile and natural actor Irrfan has no claim to a background in theatre before he made his Bollywood debut with Salaam Bombay in 1988. But, he is very fond of theatre. And while on a break in London currently, Irrfan is making sure his sons Babil and Aayan get thoroughly exposed to the English city’s popular theatre culture.
Irfan just wrapped up Homi Adajania’s Angrezi Medium that is the sequel to the 2017 hit comedy-drama Hindi Medium that was written and directed by Saket Chaudhary. This, his ‘comeback to Bollywood film’ after being diagnosed and treated for a rare cancer all of last year, was shot in parts of Rajasthan and in London. Kareena Kapoor Khan, who co-stars in the film, plays a London police officer. There’s also TV actress Radhika Madan who got a break in Bollywood last year through Vishal Bhardwaj’s comedy-drama Pataakha.
As soon as the London schedule of Angrezi Medium was complete, Irrfan took advantage of the English summer and invited his wife Sutapa and sons Babil and Aayan who were on school holidays to join him there. This is the family’s first vacation together after Irrfan underwent treatment for cancer in the UK. Now he’s reportedly reveling in the sunshine, exploring London’s historic nooks and alleys like a regular traveler, and taking his sons to see all the best plays that are on in the city in the hope that this will broaden their understanding of art.
A Bollywood source close to Irrfan said, “This is a great time for theatre in West End. It is the most common touristy activity in London. And Irrfan is fortunate that some great plays like John Malkovich’s Bitter Wheat and the musicals Thriller, On Your Feet, School of Rock, The Great Gatsby and Fiddler on The Roof are playing. There are all time favourites like Agatha Christie’sMousetrap, Mamma Mia, Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera, too. That is all very fine, but what if Irrfan’s boys want to follow their father’s footsteps and get into films directly without going the theatre route?”
