Don't want to be highest paid actor: Irrfan

Irrfan loves his craft and aims to nurture his relationship with his fans by giving them "memorable films". As far as money is concerned, the Padma Shri winner's motto is to earn enough to enjoy life - and not to be the highest paid actor.

"I don't look at my life that way and that's not my goal. I don't want to be the highest paid actor. The only thing I want is that whatever work I am doing, it should give me enough to enjoy my life," Irrfan told IANS in an interview.

"I have a relationship with the audiences and I should keep giving them some films which should be memorable. That is my concern. I only look at the story and the script and see how much I can contribute to the film," he added.

Although he won plaudits for his work in both commercial and parallel cinema, Irrfan is not so choosy when it comes to scripts.

"...Whatever I feel is interesting, I choose. I am not choosy. The only thing I look for is what creative thing that I can explore in the film. I look for that and that is important. I see who the director is and what his vision is," he said.

After his performances in films like "Life...In A Metro", "The Namesake" and "Paan Singh Tomar", which won him a National Award for best actor, Irrfan has become a name to reckon with but he takes name and fame with a pinch of salt.

"I have this feeling that this is just the beginning and I have started getting the kind of work I want to do. I feel the change has come and it's for the good. Besides, I don't think I have created something too huge which I am scared of being demolished. I am not scared of losing anything," he said.

His next is action movie "D-Day" and Irrfan says it's unlike other Indian spy movies.

"Cinema is about escaping from life. It depends on filmmakers how they portray reality in the entertainment," he said, adding: "As far as 'D-Day' is concerned, I really liked the script and the way it was written."

Directed by Nikhil Advani, "D Day" features Rishi Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Shruti Haasan.

"I have seen many Indian spy movies but they never give you an inside understanding of how it works, how they operate, how challenging it is or anything. This film gives you the drama of your life. I am glad that I agreed to do this film and am proud to see Nikhil experimenting with films," the 45-year-old said.

(Uma Ramasubramanian can be contacted at uma.sagit@gmail.com)