Irrfan Khan actually referred to the most popular romance novels — Mills and Boon — for his act in Sudhir Mishra’s Yeh Saali Zindagi. The actor was asked to play a brooding hero in the film opposite Chitrangada Singh.
When director Sudhir Mishra briefed him about his role Irrfan Khan who had never portrayed a quintessential hero in Hindi cinema was dumbstruck as to how he would take his role forward. Unit sources inform that Irrfan finally referred to Mills and Boon novels which are the mushy love stories for his role. The actor read the novels for about a week to get into the act and when he finally got into the character he told Mishra that he was ready for the role.
Irrfan’s character in the film has a humorous tinge too. He plays a guy who is unable to express his love and praises Chitrangada’s beauty by comparing her to his mother’s food.
This is the first time that Irrfan is working with the director. Says the actor, “The film is a fast paced thriller. It is a hero oriented film which talks about failure and love. When he told me about the role I was not sure how to go about it and it was Mishra who suggested I read the love stories because the character has a humorous touch too.”