<p class="bodytext">Soon after the success of the Oscar-winning <em>Slumdog Millionaire</em>, actor Irrfan Khan once happened to be sitting in the same restaurant as Mark Ruffalo in New York, hoping to interact with the Hollywood star but to no avail.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As the <em>Avengers: Endgame</em> star was about to leave, a disappointed Irrfan was met with surprise when Ruffalo himself recognised the Indian actor, reached out to him and complimented him on his work.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The incident that took place perhaps around 2010 is one of the many anecdotes mentioned in Aseem Chhabra's I<em>rrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star,</em> a biographical work on the 53-year-old actor.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to the book, Irrfan and Indian director-screenwriter Aditya Bhattacharya were once having a brunch at a well-known restaurant in New York City with producer Leslie Holleran (<em>The Cider House Rules,</em> 1999 and <em>Chocolat</em>, 2000). This was the year after the huge success of Danny Boyle's <em>Slumdog Millionaire</em>.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Suddenly Irrfan elbowed Aditya. He had noticed that actor Mark Ruffalo was sitting on the next table. But he was there with a large group of people, perhaps his family. Irrfan told Aditya that he was a big fan of Mark and somehow wanted an introduction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"'I asked Leslie if she knew him, and she said she did, but she didn't feel like walking up to Mark,' Aditya says. 'She said it didn't look right. But I could also see Irrfan thinking, 'Hello toh bolte hain' (Let's at least say hello)," the book states.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"When we were leaving, Irrfan looked disappointed, but then something incredible happened,' Aditya adds. 'Mark saw him, put his hand forward and said, 'Hey man, I love your work'. And Irrfan probably saw sparkling lights all over'," Aditya is quoted as saying in the book.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Brought out by Rupa Publications, the book is a third biography of an Indian cinestar by Chhabra, who has previously come out with works on the late Shashi Kapoor in 2016 and Priyanka Chopra in 2018.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The book draws largely from personal interviews of people and artistes associated with the actor throughout his journey from a small household in Rajasthan's Tonk to drama school in Delhi to Mumbai and then becoming a globally recognised artiste with his billboards now in Hollywood.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Launched in January, it also attempts at deconstructing several of Irrfan's performances on screen, both in Hindi and English.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Soon after the success of the Oscar-winning <em>Slumdog Millionaire</em>, actor Irrfan Khan once happened to be sitting in the same restaurant as Mark Ruffalo in New York, hoping to interact with the Hollywood star but to no avail.</p>.<p class="bodytext">As the <em>Avengers: Endgame</em> star was about to leave, a disappointed Irrfan was met with surprise when Ruffalo himself recognised the Indian actor, reached out to him and complimented him on his work.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The incident that took place perhaps around 2010 is one of the many anecdotes mentioned in Aseem Chhabra's I<em>rrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, The Star,</em> a biographical work on the 53-year-old actor.</p>.<p class="bodytext">According to the book, Irrfan and Indian director-screenwriter Aditya Bhattacharya were once having a brunch at a well-known restaurant in New York City with producer Leslie Holleran (<em>The Cider House Rules,</em> 1999 and <em>Chocolat</em>, 2000). This was the year after the huge success of Danny Boyle's <em>Slumdog Millionaire</em>.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Suddenly Irrfan elbowed Aditya. He had noticed that actor Mark Ruffalo was sitting on the next table. But he was there with a large group of people, perhaps his family. Irrfan told Aditya that he was a big fan of Mark and somehow wanted an introduction.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"'I asked Leslie if she knew him, and she said she did, but she didn't feel like walking up to Mark,' Aditya says. 'She said it didn't look right. But I could also see Irrfan thinking, 'Hello toh bolte hain' (Let's at least say hello)," the book states.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"When we were leaving, Irrfan looked disappointed, but then something incredible happened,' Aditya adds. 'Mark saw him, put his hand forward and said, 'Hey man, I love your work'. And Irrfan probably saw sparkling lights all over'," Aditya is quoted as saying in the book.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Brought out by Rupa Publications, the book is a third biography of an Indian cinestar by Chhabra, who has previously come out with works on the late Shashi Kapoor in 2016 and Priyanka Chopra in 2018.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The book draws largely from personal interviews of people and artistes associated with the actor throughout his journey from a small household in Rajasthan's Tonk to drama school in Delhi to Mumbai and then becoming a globally recognised artiste with his billboards now in Hollywood.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Launched in January, it also attempts at deconstructing several of Irrfan's performances on screen, both in Hindi and English.</p>