When Irrfan Khan announced that he has been diagnosed with a “rare disease” earlier this month — now revealed to be neuroendocrine tumour — it was assumed that the release date for his upcoming film Blackmail would be postponed. However, the makers of the film say that that the actor is adamant for the film be released as per the schedule.
Surprised at the actor’s determination, producer Bhushan Kumar says, “I was travelling so (director) Abhinay Deo went and met him. We offered him the idea to defer the release. But he asked us to go ahead since Irrfan considers Blackmail to be his most loved film.” Bhushan added, “He has seen the film and quite liked it. He mentioned that even if he weren’t available for promoting the film, he will request the media to support him,” adds the producer.
Abhinay added, “When I met him, we weren’t sure about going ahead. Frankly, we wanted whatever he wanted; we wanted to work around his comfort. But he vehemently said that we should release the film on time. He is very happy about the way things are going.”
Talking about the actor’s health, Abhinay said, “He is in good spirits; he is away for his treatment. We should respect the privacy of the family. We know as much as you know.”
The film is poised to be a madcap comedy starring an ensemble cast of Irrfan, Kirti Kulhari, Divya Dutta, Arunoday Singh and Omi Vaidya among others. Blackmail is releasing as scheduled on April 6.
