Meet Priyanka Chopra's love-sick husband

Priyanka Chopra who started shooting in Kashmir for Saat Khoon Maaf has her first of her 7 screen husbands Irrfan Khan frantically preparing for his part of a love-stuck poet.

Irrfan had started his career as a film actor with the role of a love-stuck poet in Govind Nihalani's Drishti where he had got to make love to the older woman the beautiful Dimple Kapadia.

In Saat Khoon Maaf again Irrfan plays a besotted lover-boy, this time wooing Priyanka Chopra. And to help Irrfan get passionately poetic there's the inimitable Gulzar's poetry that would be used for Irrfan's character.

Gulzar Saab has apparently written some of his most romantic lines ever for Irrfan to woo Priyanka with. A diehard Gulzar fan Priyanka can't wait to be wooed with the luscious poetry that Irrfan would be reciting.

The trick is to make Irffan look much younger than his age for the role of the Cupid-challenged poet. The makeup artiste has been working since last week on Irrfan's face and body language to arrive at a look that would knock at least ten years off Irrfan's actual age.

Says Irrfan, “I play a shayar who is completely in love with Priyanka Chopra. Yes, the makeup artiste has worked out a look around my strange face so that for the first time I look different. In any case if one has to woo Priyanka one automatically glows with romantic enthusiasm. She's very inspiring.”

Says the actor, “I can't reveal any more about my character. But I must thank Vishal Bharadwaj for allowing me to court two of the most beautiful women on screen.It was Tabu in Maqbool and now Priyanka in this film.”

Thank You cast: Akshay, Sonam, Irrfan, Celina, Bobby and Suniel

The core cast of Anees Bazmi's rom-com Thank You just got bigger. After actor Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor and Bobby Deol, Irrfan Khan has been added to the cast in a pivotal role.

Suniel Shetty and Celina Jaitely play another couple in the film.

Says Anees, “Suniel and Celina I've worked with them before and enjoyed the experience. But with Irrfan I'm working for the first time. He is perfect for the part of Bobby Deol's boss.”

Irrfan has a crammed year ahead. As soon as he finishes Saat Khoon Maaf he heads for Canada to shoot for Anees Bazmi's Thank You.

Says Irrfan, “Yes, I'm doing Anees' film. I've always wanted to work with Anees Bazmi. It's always advisable to include spicy food in your cuisine. That's why I'm doing Anees' Thank You. The role is perfect. And I get to work with another lovely girl Sonam Kapoor.”

Irrfan finally agrees to become Priyanka's hubby

While the West has just honoured his global contribution with a 3-page spread in Time magazine Irrfan Khan has had enough of being taken for granted at home. In fact rumour has it he isn’t too pleased being cast by Vishal Bhardwaj as one of Priyanka Chopra’s seven husbands in Saat Khoon Maaf and was in two minds about the part until Vishal persuaded him and assured him that the supposedly saleable John Abraham and the distinguished Naseeruddin Shah and Mohanlal are also part of Priyanka Chopra’s harem in Saat Khoon Maaf.

Irrfan has finally relented. Barely concealing his sarcasm the actor described by Time as “the one who can do it all” says, “Whether it’s Dibakar Banerjee, Shimit Amin , Anurag Basu, Anurag Kashyap or Vishal Bhardwaj they all make the kind of films that suit my sensibilities perfectly. But they have all moved to another phase in their career. The Vishal that I worked with when I played the lead in Maqbool is not the same filmmaker who’s making Saat Khoon Maaf. He needs commercially viable stars for the budget that his films now need. And let’s be fair I’m not commercially viable enough to make a difference to project.”

Evading the spell of bitterness Irrfan says, “Vishal and I kept missing each other. Finally I spoke to him in Mussourrie the other day .He’s writing the script there. Yes I’d love to be killed by Priyanka Chopra. Which man wouldn’t?” The truth is, Irrfan is not too happy with the fact that directors whose art and creativity he trusts are coming to him with secondary roles.

Even the much talked-about Hisss is actually a Mallika Sherawat vehicle. When asked about its much-delayed release Irrfan explains, “Out here they don’t really understand the international market. I think the Indian producers of Hisss have got it right. They plan to market it as an exotic mysterious product from the Orient. To get into the Western market the Indian producer Govind Menon has now invited a Hollywood studio to take the film to the American audience.”

Hissss Preview

As the story goes, the movie is about the Vengeance of Naagin, the Snake Woman when the legend of the Naagin has been spreading for over 4000 years ago. Finally in 2009 George States (Jeff Douchette), a ruthless American travels to the jungles of India and captures her mate. She transforms into a stunningly attractive woman (Mallika Sherawat) with absolutely no clue about contemporary civilization or the ways of mankind, and ventures into the city in desperate search for her lover with vengeance on her mind and venom in her fangs.

What follows is a chase at breakneck speed, with horrifying deaths, narrow escapes and special effects never seen before in India, as Vikram Gupta's (Irrfan Khan) Clarice Starling chases down a beautiful sexy killer more dangerous, powerful and terrifying than Hannibal Lecter. This is India's Werewolf, Vampire, and Hannibal the Cannibal, who has an axe to grind with the villainous human race who has dared to desecrate her environment and capture her mate...