The Last Tenant, a 2000 film starring Irrfan Khan, debuted on YouTube on his sixth death anniversary.
Irrfan passed away on April 29, 2020 following a long battle with neuroendocrine cancer. On April 29, the film premiered on The Salt Inc YouTube channel as a tribute to Irrfan on his death anniversary.
Written and directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, the film features a young Irrfan alongside Vidya Balan.
The Last Tenant remained shelved for over two decades after its original footage was lost. Sarthak had nearly given up hope until he recovered a VHS copy, making restoration and release of the long-lost film possible.
The Last Tenant is believed to be one of Vidya’s earliest works, and possibly her first film after a short television stint with the show Hum Paanch. It also stands as her only on-screen pairing with Irrfan.
“Those two souls were Irrfan Khan and Vidya Balan, before the world truly knew their names. The film was thought to be gone forever. The footage, lost. The memory, alive only in those who lived it. Until now,” reads the synopsis on the YouTube page of the movie.
Looking back at the film’s long journey to its release, Sartha said in a statement, “I was a novice with everything to learn. I hadn’t assisted anyone. I hadn’t been to film school. There was no Amazon to order books from. No YouTube to watch tutorials on. Fuelled by pure intuition, I had embarked on a journey, still unsure if it could become a career.”
“Releasing this film now, as a tribute to Irrfan, makes it even more emotional. It feels like revisiting a forgotten dream,” he added.
Calling the film’s release a nostalgic moment, Vidya said, “It feels surreal to see The Last Tenant finally reach audiences. I was just starting out, trying to find my footing. Working with Irrfan was incredibly special then and that much more now considering it’s the only time I got to share screen space with him.”
Produced by Sarthak and his wife Neena under their banner, The Salt Inc, The Last Tenant also features an ensemble cast including Annu Khandelwal, Saurabh Agarwal, Sabya Saachi, Satish Kalra, and Anand Mishra.
With a career spanning over three decades, Irrfan was known for his performances in Maqbool, The Namesake, Paan Singh Tomar, Haider, Piku and The Lunchbox.