Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia has shared updates on his long-planned biopic about legendary filmmaker K. Asif, the director of ‘Mughal-E-Azam.’ The project, which has been in development for years, was initially conceptualized with late actor Irrfan Khan.Tigmanshu Dhulia said he remains fully committed to completing the film. He emphasized that the story will focus on K. Asif’s short but impactful career and the struggles he faced while creating the iconic 1960 epic Mughal-E-Azam.
Inspired by conversations with Irrfan Khan
Speaking at the special screening of A Story That Refused to Die, a documentary on Paan Singh Tomar, Dhulia opened up on his deep creative bond with Irrfan Khan. He shared that the idea for the biopic emerged from long discussions between them. He described how both shared a strong desire to work on the project together. The filmmaker said their conversations formed the emotional foundation of the film idea.Tigmanshu Dhulia explained that the biopic was built around their mutual admiration for powerful, character-driven storytelling. The narrative would explore K. Asif’s journey during the making of Mughal-E-Azam. He highlighted that the project is not just about a filmmaker but also about the emotional and artistic challenges behind one of Indian cinema’s greatest classics. The vision remains closely tied to the conversations he had with Irrfan.
Continuing the journey after Irrfan Khan’s loss
The filmmaker admitted that Irrfan’s absence has made the journey emotional, but he continues to feel connected to him. He expressed that he still finds motivation to complete the film despite the actor’s passing.“The film on which I’ve been working for a long time—it all started with my conversation with Irrfan—we will work on this film someday, and we will make this film; it was a biopic on K. Asif, the director of ‘Mughal-E-Azam.'”Tigmanshu Dhulia added that he still feels the actor’s presence guiding him creatively and encouraging him to move forward. “I wanted to do this film with Irrfan, and I know that Irrfan isn’t stopping me and is rather saying, ‘Make this film.'”Dhulia and Irrfan’s partnership began during their time at the National School of Drama in Delhi in the late 1980s. The duo worked together on several films, and this begins with ‘Haasil’ in 2003, Dhulia’s directorial debut. They later collaborated on projects such as ‘Charas,’ ‘Paan Singh Tomar,’ and ‘Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns.’Dhulia recalled their unique working style where discussions on a single key scene would shape the emotional core of an entire film. “We would often discuss one scene, which was the spine of the film, and that would set the ‘core’ of the film. That’s what I would do on every film that I did with him,” Dhulia said at the event.Irrfan Khan passed away on April 29, 2020, at the age of 54 after battling a rare neuroendocrine tumor.
