Six years after the death of the iconic Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, an unreleased film of his finally saw the light of day after decades of waiting. He died on April 29, 2020, after a prolonged battle against cancer. His untimely death left the entire film fraternity and his fans grieving his loss.
Details
On his sixth death anniversary, a nearly 25-year-old film, titled The Last Tenant, has been released on YouTube. It features a very young Khan alongside Vidya Balan. The film is believed to be the actress’ first stint in the film industry after her work on a television show. The film finally premiered on April 29 as a tribute to the late actor.
The Last Tenant is written and directed by Sarthak Dasgupta and produced by Neena and Sarthak Dasgupta. Its release not only pays tribute to Khan but also gives viewers a chance to see the early work of two talented actors and also marks their only on-screen collaboration.
The film remained unreleased for many years because its original footage was lost, leaving it incomplete. Dasgupta had almost lost hope of ever finishing it until very recently, when he found a VHS copy of the film, which made it possible to restore the project and finally share it with the audience.
The Last Tenant marked Dasgupta’s debut as a filmmaker after he left his corporate job. Over the years, he went on to direct films like Netflix’s Music Teacher,The Amol Palekar and 200 Halla Ho, among others.
“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,” Dasgupta said while talking about the film’s long journey to its release. He added, “Releasing this film now, as a tribute to Irrfan, makes it even more emotional. It feels like revisiting a forgotten dream.”
The story of The Last Tenant follows a troubled musician who takes shelter in an abandoned house before leaving the country. Besides the two leads, the film also features Annu Khandelwal, Saurabh Agarwal, Sabya Saachi, Satish Kalra, and Anand Mishra. Since its release on the platform, the film has garnered nearly 2 lakh views.
