Be it in Bollywood or in world cinema, the actor managed to find the right cord with his performance in both the cinematic worlds.

 

In an earlier interview with IANS, Irrfan had said: "I think the most interesting part of exploring both the worlds of cinema -- Bollywood and Hollywood -- is how the audience perceives an actor. In our (Indian) cinema, actors are like a magician who comes on screen and do something to engage and mesmerise. On the other hand, in the West, actors are performers, and the audience looks for a certain amount of nuance, subtleness. It is really an interesting area to explore for an actor like me."

 

Here is a list of characters he portrayed on-screen that are drawn from literature.

 

Maqbool (2003): In the Vishal Bharadwaj directorial Irrfan played the title character Miyan Maqbool, which was based on William Shakespeare's play "Macbeth".

 

The Namesake(2006): The directorial work of the Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mira Nair was based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, of the same name. Irrfan played the character of Ashoke Ganguli. The actor received a lot of love for his acting in the film.

 

A Mighty Heart (2007): The film was based on the book "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life And Death Of My Husband Daniel Pearl" written by Mariane Pearl. In the Angelina Jolie-starrer, Irrfan played Zeeshan Kazmi, police chief of Karachi who heads the investigation of the abduction of the journalist.

 

Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Based on the novel "Q & A" (2005) by Indian author Vikas Swarup, Irrfan played the police officer who interrogates Jamal, a boy from the Mumbai slums who participates in a television show and manages to win despite being uneducated.

 

7 Khoon Maaf (2011): This was the second collaboration between Vishal Bharadwaj and Irrfan after "Maqbool". The story of the film was based on a short story titled "Susanna's Seven Husbands" by Ruskin Bond. In the film, Irrfan played the character of the Kashmiri poet Wasiullah Khan.

 

Life of Pi (2012): Based on the novel written by Yann Martel, the film is directed by Ang Lee. Irrfan played the adult phase of the protagonist - Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel. The film was nominated at the Academy Awards.

 

Haider (2014): Based on Shakespeare's play "Hamlet", Irrfan essayed the character of Roohdar, the ghost of Hamlet's father. His performance was appreciated by the audience and critics alike.