On Sunday, Sutapa Sikdar, wife of late actor Irrfan, shared a few BTS stills of a lesser-known TV film directed by Irrfan in the late 90s. Taking to Instagram, Sutapa also shared a series of small nostalgic notes, recalling her memories of making the film.
Beginning her note with a personal memory with Irrfan, Sutapa said, “Everyone knows Irrfan as a great actor. I hated actors when I met him. I found them narcissistic, and married to mirrors. Much later, i discovered that’s their tool, and they need to see it again and again.”
Titled Alvida, the film was co-produced by Irrfan and Sutapa alongwith BBC and featured Nawazzudin and Sadiya Siddiqui in the lead roles. Sutapa wrote, "Irrfan and I produced this little gem. A leprosy film I wrote and Irrfan turned it into a beautiful love story. Our dear friend and cinematographer Rafey Mehmood shot the film. It was a small setup, (with) big dreams and bigger passion shared by Irrfan, Shailaja Kejriwal, Sadiya Siddiqui, Savita Karthik, and Babil (he had no other choice but to accompany us).”
Recalling her memories of working with Nawazuddin, Sutapa mentioned, “Nawaz was very new to industry at that time, our junior from NSD I remember him saying ‘ji ji’ at everything,” adding that Nawazuddin’s performance in Alvida remains her favourite from the actor to date.
Also expressing her admiration for Irrfan’s directorial prowess, Sutapa added, “Decades later, I adored Irrfan as a director. He had a strong vision. Contrary to many directors I met at that time in television, he believed in less.”
Irrfan and Nawazuddin later famously worked together in the 2013 film The Lunchbox.
