Irrfan Khan was supposed to play Ranbir Kapoor’s dad in Jagga Jasoos, says Anurag Basu

Filmmaker Anurag Basu has said that he was working on a sequel to his 2007 film, Life… In a Metro, with actor Irrfan Khan. Irrfan died last month after a two-year battle with a neuroendocrine tumour.

Anurag told Mumbai Mirror that Irrfan was miffed that despite their long association in TV, Anurag had not written a role for him in Gangster. He said, “I made up with a role in Metro which showcased his lighter side, which I was acquainted with from our TV shows. As Monty, lrrfan was a riot.”

Anurag said that the idea for a sequel to Life… In a Metro came from Irrfan. He continued, “I had approached him to play Ranbir’s (Kapoor) accident-prone, adoptive father in Jagga Jasoos. He was busy with other films then, and since Jagga Jasoos’s dates were all over the place, we couldn’t collaborate on that project. But he told me, `Chal, Metro sequel banate hain.”

Irrfan reminded him about it during the Qareeb Qareeb Singlle promotions. “Metro 2 mujhe Irrfan ke saath hi karni thi (I wanted to make Metro 2 only with Irrfan),” Anurag said, trailing off, “I don’t know… I really don’t know.”

Recently, director Anand Gandhi also said that he’d been working on a project with Irrfan, a film about a pandemic. Titled Emergence, the film would have featured Irrfan, the filmmaker told Mumbai Mirror. He said, “Irrfan and I drove to Pune once and became friends over the years… We explored the possibility of his presence in Tumbbad before the final script and schedule changed things. He’d have been in Emergence too. I wish I had created something with him.” Anurag’s upcoming film, Ludo, is modelled around a similar structure as that of Life…In a Metro.

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