Irrfan with Bangali bou Sutapa. Picture by Pratim D. Gupta

The Cairo International Film Festival brings together such an eclectic group of people from the movies, that it’s easy to understand why the guests stay huddled at their own tables for lunch and dinner. The Polish actress doesn’t know the Syrian director and the French filmmaker has never seen the films of the African producer.

But one man whom everyone seems to recognise in a jiffy happens to be an Indian actor — Irrfan Khan. The one man who is always photographed around the buffet counter at the hotel coffee shop is Irrfan Khan. The one man who has to wear a baseball cap and shades to keep the fans away here in distant Egypt is Irrfan Khan.

Easily the most important man in the 10 days of the Cairo Festival, the Namesake star, who’s just worked with Natalie Portman in New York, I Love You, was felicitated at the closing ceremony with a “lifetime achievement award”. t2 caught up with Irrfan over strawberries at the breakfast table even as his wife Sutapa — the pucca Bangali bou — and his two kids tuned in, and found him to be the same grounded man who used to feature in telefilms on the small screen a few years back.

They gave you a lifetime achievement award!

(Laughs uproariously) Ab kya batayen? Well, it’s an award for what I have achieved in my lifetime. (Laughs out loud again.) It’s okay… they have a different meaning for lifetime achievement here.

It’s again Slumdog Millionaire which brings you here. Does it amaze you how long the running legs of this film are proving to be?

It’s been quite terrific. And as an actor you go with the flow but you cannot go mad! You have to keep doing films. You enjoy it till a point and then you cut off. What matters is what manifests after that.

If you look at your career in the West, you have done such fabulous work starting with The Warrior and then, of course, The Namesake and A Mighty Heart. But don’t you think that little cameo in Slumdog Millionaire has done more for you than the other films?

No, it hasn’t. That’s a perception. But people know what is what. In terms of experience, it was good. The film has become a phenomenon and you are part of it. But in terms of acting, in terms of dealing with a story, I have had much more to bite in other films like the ones you mentioned… Namesake was so, so challenging. Slumdog Millionaire was a great opportunity to be with Danny (Boyle) and to see how he treats the story, which itself was very good.

How are you choosing your films now? It must be tricky which Bollywood films to say ‘yes’ to?

All that stays the same as it always used to be — a good script, a good role… that’s all an actor asks for, no matter what stage of his career he is in.

Why would you do an Acid Factory and turn down Kurbaan (he was offered Om Puri’s role in the film)?

Arrey woh story jo sunai thi, laga tha ki interesting hai story. I never knew it was a copy of some foreign film. Also, the way (producer) Sanjay Gupta narrated the whole thing to me, I could feel the passion involved in the project and you want to be part of a passionate project. Plus, sometimes you want to do films where you don’t have to think about the role, you only have to think about the style. As an actor it’s important you do films like that where you don’t have to think too much about your character and just be there that moment.

Is it true that now you do Bollywood projects only for the money and Hollywood movies for the love of your craft?

No. Not possible, yaar. Hindi film is the main thing. It’s for our people. Hollywood mein aap kuch bhi kar lo, it doesn’t come to India. So what’s the point?

So you have no plans to relocate to the West and do films only there?

Never ever. I cannot live there. I can live there for work. But spending my life there is unimaginable.

Why do you say that?

Maybe I am too old now to adjust to another way of life. Also I find it very difficult to deal with the Western culture. Every time I cannot say ‘good morning’, ‘hello’, ‘how are you’ to everyone. I find it very fake. I cannot do that. Going there for work is okay. I can relate more to the Middle-Eastern part of the world, but not the West.

How was the New York, I Love You experience?

Oh, it was a fantastic experience! Just the way Mira does her films, every time. Just fantastic. I haven’t seen the film myself but I got the SMS from Mira saying that it has shaped up really well.

And Natalie Portman? We are always gaping at her on screen and now she is opposite you in a film! How do you feel?

Same… the way you are feeling! (Smiles naughtily.)

Were you playing Jawaharlal Nehru in Joe Wright’s Indian Summer opposite Cate Blanchett before it got stuck?

Abhi kya hai ki thoda budget ka issue hai, so thoda delayed hai picture.

But are you doing it?

Let it get started again… phir baat cheet shuru ho and I can tell you more about it.

So what’s on your platter now?

There’s Hiss. Phir Pan Singh Tomar bolke ek film hai, which I have to still finish. Then there’s a commercial film with Mani Shankar co-starring Sanjay Dutt and Kangana, called Knockout. Sudhir’s (Mishra) film will start now.

What about projects from the West? Are you doing Ang Lee’s The Life of Pi?

There are a few but you know unless they are finalised it’s never on for sure. Un logon ka yeh deal final karne mein bahut chakkar hai. I am in talks for a HBO series also. Let’s see kya hota hai.