Irrfan Khan is known for his versatile acting skills and his serious on-screen persona, but his wife, screen writer Sutapa Sikdar, says there is much more to him than that.
Asked if Khan was as stern in his personal life as he looks on screen, Sikdar said: “Not at all. Never. Irrfan is very funny and he is very good with my children. He is the best father in the world. I really mean it. He is just the best”.
“The way he understands them, their mood swings and other things... It’s not just about playing football like most of the fathers do. He understands their mind, soul, heart and understands the different approach in parenting,” Sikdar said.
“He is a very good and wonderful parent,” she added.
Khan and Sikdar studied together in their youth and have been married for over two decades. They have two sons together, Babil and Ayaan.
Sikdar also shared her key to a successful marriage.
“Every couple has a different mantra. [For us] there is no particular mantra, but what works for us is sharing the load. I could share [my] emotional load [with Khan] ... that is what is important,” she said.
“Keep re-inventing [the relationship]. Forget husband and wife. If every individual keeps re-inventing, then any relationship will go in a positive direction,” Sikdar added.
Khan gained global recognition with performances in films such as Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi and Jurassic World. He will next be seen in Inferno alongside Hollywood star Tom Hanks.
Asked how she reacted to Khan’s rise in international cinema, Sikdar said: “Irrfan doesn’t plan such things. These things just kept happening one after another. It’s a difficult question to answer because I have been with him since I was a student. We were students together. So it is difficult for me to answer about [his] international fame and how I see it”.
Sikdar said she knew Khan would be successful.
“I didn’t know this will happen, but I always knew something good will happen because Irrfan works very honestly and conscientiously,” she said.
Sikdar had written a script for a television show in the actor’s early days.
Would she like to direct a film and cast Khan star in that?
“I don’t know right now. But, of course I am writing. We are producing a film together, [in which] he is acting. So that’s the first step,” Sikdar said.
Sikdar said she is happy her superstar husband gets the limelight, but she personally avoids it.
“I am very shy of all the limelight. [But] I enjoy it for him because an actor’s life is about limelight, right?”
Khan and Sikdar were in New Delhi to launch detergent brand Ariel Matic’s “ShareTheLoad” pack.
Asked if Khan shares the load with Sikdar, she said: “Like you said, he is a superstar. So naturally he has a constraint of time... But for us, [the] load can come in various forms, so it’s not only about washing clothes. So he does share the load in many ways”.
“It’s common for men to shy away from responsibilities at home,” Khan said in a statement for the event. “However, it is even more important to make the effort to share the load. If not for our partners, then at least for our kids, who we need to ensure are raised in a world of equal opportunities both outside and within the home. It’s okay to struggle with the tasks at first. As did I.”
The event encouraged men to do laundry on odd days and women on even days.
