Mumbai, May 5: “The Last Tenant”, a movie featuring Irrfan Khan long before he became one of India’s most versatiles stars but remained unreleased, has finally been made available on YouTube by its makers.
The film, which was completed in 2000, was released on the YouTube page of The Salt Inc as a tribute to Irrfan Khan on his sixth death anniversary on April 29.
Written and directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, the 43-minute movie featured Irrfan alongside Vidya Balan, who was famous at the time for featuring in the TV show “Hum Paanch”.
“Some films aren’t lost. They wait. In the year 2000, a young filmmaker , with no budget, no guarantees, and only a vision gathered two extraordinary souls and made something quietly magical. That filmmaker was Sarthak Dasgupta.
“Those two souls were Irrfan Khan and Vidya Balan, before the world truly knew their names. The film was thought to be gone forever. The footage, lost. The memory, alive only in those who lived it. Until now,” read the caption on the YouTube page of the movie.
Irrfan passed away on April 29, 2020, at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, following a battle with cancer.
In a statement, Vidya expressed a deep sense of nostalgia upon the film’s release.
“It feels surreal to see ‘The Last Tenant’ finally reach audiences. I was just starting out, trying to find my footing. Working with Irrfan was incredibly special then and that much more now considering it’s the only time I got to share screen space with him.
“This film is a beautiful reminder of where it all began for me, and I’m glad it is being shared as a tribute to him,” the actor said in a statement.
“The Last Tenant” had remained shelved for over two decades as the director had lost the footage of the film, until recently when he found a VHS copy of the same, the press release read.
Sarthak, best known for Amol Palekar and Rinku Rajguru starrer film, “200 Halla Ho”, and “Music Teacher” featuring Neena Gupta and Divya Dutta, said the release of “The Last Tenant” is a dream come true moment for him.
“Fuelled by pure intuition, I had embarked on a journey, still unsure if it could become a career. Releasing this film now, as a tribute to Irrfan, makes it even more emotional. It feels like revisiting a forgotten dream,” the director said.
The film is produced by Sarthak and his wife Neena under their banner, The Salt Inc.(PTI)
