'Irrfan's Finish Line Came Too Soon', Says Sutapa Sikdar As She & Son Babil Attend A Screening Of Paan Singh Tomar At IFFI

Irrfan Khan’s film Paan Singh Tomar was screened at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa as a tribute to the late actor on Friday. The special screening was attended by Sutapa Sikdar, Irrfan’s wife and their son Babil Khan.

In her emotional speech post the screening Sutapa said that it was the first event she’s attended since Irrfan’s demise. Remembering the late actor and his cinematic legacy she added, “IFFI couldn’t have chosen a better film. It talks about a race, an athlete. To quote Irrfan’s dialogue from the film, ‘you have to finish the race. Whether you lose or win. You have to touch the finish line.’ “Irrfan’s finish line came too soon. But he played well. We are proud of you Irrfan,” and was hugged by her son Babil standing beside her as she concluded.

She recalled attending the film festival with Irrfan in Delhi and how they would enjoy some ‘cutting chai’ and talk about cinema in between screenings. She also thanked the people who came out to attend the screening in the extraordinary times of the pandemic.

Paan Singh Tomar released in 2012 and is a film about an athlete who rebelled against the system. The movie won Irrfan Khan a National Award for his performance.

Babil too penned post after the screen and was said he was happy to see his father come alive on the big screen one more time. With a picture of Irrfan he wrote, “Today, I need to share this as @iffigoa made it possible to watch and hear him on the big screen one more time, that to in Paan Singh Tomar. (This man exuded a younger energy than me in his late 40s even).”

Irrfan Khan died in Mumbai in April 2020 after suffering from a rare form of neuroendocrine tumour for two years.