- By Smita Srivastava
- Thu, 27 Apr 2023 04:45 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
One of the most notable actors of our generation, Irrfan Khan lost his life to cancer in 2020 after battling the disease for years. His swan song, The Song of Scorpions, is all set to be released in cinemas tomorrow (April 28). The film will mark the last time the legendary actor’s fans will be able to see him on the big screen.
In an exclusive interview with Dainik Jagran, director Anup Singh spoke about how he got the idea of The Song of Scorpions, his ‘magical’ working moments with Irrfan Khan, last memories with the actor and much more.
How The Song of Scorpions Came Into Making
Describing the film as one where a woman finds a way to avenge herself after being ‘violated and betrayed’, Anup Singh spoke about the inspiration behind The Song of Scorpions. “The Song of Scorpions has its beginnings in a dream. A nightmare, really. This was while still completing ‘Qissa’ in 2013. It had been about a year since we had all been sickened and appalled by the news of the rape of Jyoti Singh in a moving bus in Delhi in 2012. Like so many others, I felt that something deep inside me but also something in the very spirit of the country had been poisoned by this violation.”
The filmmaker added, “While the story of ‘The Song of Scorpions’ is not at all about what had happened on that bus in Delhi in 2012, the tragic event did give me the outrage and the determination to push to make this film about a woman violated and betrayed, but in my film she finds a way to avenge herself.”
Working with Irrfan Khan after ‘Qissa’
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The Song of Scorpions marks the second collaboration between director Anup Singh and actor Irrfan Khan. Reflecting upon the time of their first film ‘Qissa’, the director recalled, “Actually, while dubbing some dialogues for ‘Qissa’, I narrated the story of ‘The Song of Scorpions’ to Irrfan Khan. After I finished telling him the story, he kept looking at me for a long while, a smile on his face.”
The director revealed that Irrfan Khan always wanted to do roles that were outside of his comfort domain and said, “Finally, he said, “Anup Saab, they are really strange - the roles you bring to me. This one, like the role of Umber of ‘Qissa’, I don’t want to do. But I know I have to do it!” That was Irrfan. He really wanted to do what was outside his domain of comfort, what challenged him, what made him question everything he had done before.”
Irrfan Khan’s Bond With The Camel, Patang
Anup Singh revealed that the one new thing Irrfan Khan learnt while filming for The Song of Scorpions was to trust and speak to animals. “To begin with, he was very suspicious of camels when we started shooting the film. But, then, he met Patang, the camel that is with him in the film. He spent hours sitting, feeding, washing and speaking with Patang,” the filmmaker recalled.
“He called Patang ‘Baba’, as is the practice in the desert of calling camels. And when he called Baba, it would come to him even if it was far away in the desert. Even after the film was made, he would often ask me to call the owner of Patang in Jaisalmer. The owner woud hold the phone next to the camel and Irrfan would speak to it over the phone. We would hear the camel ’s hoarse calls in reply,” Anup Singh revealed.
Irrfan Khan’s Swan Song
Speaking about The Song of Scorpions being Irrfan Khan’s last film, Anup Singh said, “As you know, Irrfan used to love flying kites. How to keep this fragile piece of paper playing in the wind was very important to him. Any sudden shift in the wind could bring the kite crashing to earth. I hope people can think of Irrfan and see the film with this quality of his: somehow to keep flying the fragile kite of our life with playfulness and joy.”
The Unexpected Delay In The Release Of The Film
Director Anup Soni also revealed the real reason behind the delay of The Song of Scorpions’ release in India. “While the film was released much earlier in Europe, the film’s release in India was delayed due to our not finding a suitable distributor for the film. And, then, when we did finally find someone we trusted to release the film, we had to withold due to the Covid pandemic in 2021,” the director said.
“Now, with audiences steadily returning to the cinemas in India, Kumar Mangat of Panorama Films and Shiva Sharma of 70mm Talkies, India, believe this might just be the right time to bring the much-beloved actor Irrfan Khan’s last film film to a larger audience,” Anup Singh said.
Remembering Irrfan Khan
Anup Singh said that he will always remember Irrfan Khan as a ‘rhythm’. “There was a certain melody, a rhythm in his life and performances that very few actors have. This rhythm is a curiosity about life.”
“You can see in his performances, how he not only played his characters, but how he played with the shirt he’s wearing, the wind that ruffles his hair, how he looks at a tree. This curiosity created within him a quality of hesitation and it is this hesitation in the way he speaks as a character, the pauses he takes, a slow rhythm that suddenly catches on speed, the way he turns his head or the way he would look or not look at you,” Anup Singh highlighted during his interview.
The director also said that the sense of loss we feel is not only because a great actor has passed away but a certain way of living has gone. “His performances give our bodies the lilt of a joy in life. That was his gift to us,” the director added.
The Song of Scorpions will be released in theatres in India on April 28, 2023.