Irrfan Khan: Nobody ever imagined I'd become an actor, was so shy

Abu Dhabi: Irrfan Khan never fails to surprise - certainly not when he says he will be ready to sing or play an instrument if a movie allows him to! The Indian actor is an ardent music lover and says he is yearning to feature in a film which lets him explore this love of his life, and perhaps lend him a chance to learn the saxophone.

"I'm dying to do a film about music. I want to do such a film so that I can live sometime with music, through which I can explore music," Irrfan said during a masterclass at the ongoing Abu Dhabi International Film Festival.

"I'm finding an excuse to live with music for sometime now. I love music of all kinds - classical, pop, jazz...whatever. Singing or playing an instrument...anything will do. I can always learn how to play an instrument. I have always desired to learn how to play the saxophone someday," he added.

Well, that's not the only thing on the wishlist of this versatile actor, whose stupendous performance as a Sikh in post-partition drama 'Qissa' has once again given the global audience a chance to sit up and take notice of his talent.

"I want to do a film for children, I want to connect to children. I want to do a great action film and yes, also romantic films...Oh god, I feel like I've just started acting. But that's what it is about... I want to do wonderful films which people cherish for years to come," he said.

It's a different thing that he has already been delivering films like 'The Namesake', 'Maqbool', 'Life In A... Metro', 'Paan Singh Tomar' and 'The Lunchbox', which have such memorable performances from the actor. 'Qissa', when it releases, will surely add to the list.

Plus, Irrfan's international credentials are no less - 'A Mighty Heart', 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and 'Life of Pi'....

Juggling between Hollywood, Bollywood and the independent film scene of India - how does he set an equilibrium in life while doing different things?

"Doing different things sets the equilibrium. Everytime you take up something new, it relieves you and gives you freshness. In fact, if you do one kind of thing all the time, then the question of finding an equilibrium arises. I have been fortunate to be able to different things," said the actor, who, as a child, couldn't even muster the courage to pronounce his name to his teacher.

"Nobody ever imagined I would become an actor. I was so shy," he said as she shared his story of conquering his fears and becoming the global star that he is today.