Irrfan Khan on working with a dinosaur in Jurassic World

I have seen only the first movie in the Jurassic Park franchise that came out in 1993. I was mesmerised; there was a new killer on the block, a dinosaur that instilled fear in the hearts of all those who saw it. I can’t forget the "toilet scene" where the dinosaur attacks a man while he is in the loo. What was great about the movie was the kind of morality that was woven in the script; a sense of responsibility for our actions. So, when they approached me I was happy to come on board. This movie has been made after a long gap and technology has evolved in leaps and bounds. In the latest version, the park has a wide variety of dinosaurs, even some that you can ride on.

I play the role of Simon Masrani, who owns the park. He feels that he knows what’s best for the park and this creates an interesting dynamic, a sort of conflict between him and the people who work there. In the first movie, Richard Attenborough created the park as his vision, in the latest version, Masrani owns the park and knows that not only can it make money, but also bring people closer to nature. The dichotomy between his invention and money gives rise to an interesting story line. Masrani is a wealthy and flamboyant man. In my personal life, I don’t have that kind of flamboyance, charm or humour, perhaps that’s what attracted me to the character. He wears dapper European stitched suits. I was happy to be involved in a small way with the styling process. We had two choices: to either make him wear beachwear to the park or let him be in suits. After much discussion, it was decided that he would look best in an expensive suit.

This time there’s a new dinosaur in town. Initially, his form and look was kept a big secret. When I finally got to see it, I was very impressed. He looked menacing and scary, just what the script needed. Since dinosaurs do not exist, I had to act using my imagination during scenes. In fact, this is part of the job, what acting is all about; to work with what you have whether you have props or not, whether there is a co-star in front of you or not.

In the movie, for me personally, what stands out is the scene where Masrani sees the new dinosaur for the first time. He had asked his scientists to create something new, but what he finally sees takes him by surprise, as this is not what he wanted. The great work environment and clever screenplay ensured that I enjoyed every moment during the making of the movie. However, what irritates me is the constant question, "do you play an Indian, an Italian, or something else?" To them my reply is, watch the movie and guess.

Currently, I am working on Inferno, an adaptation of Dan Brown’s book. I don’t read fiction but this was such a spicy story, filled with history and intrigue, it kept me hooked till the end. It has also given me the opportunity to work with Tom Hanks, who has helped me evolve both professionally and as a human. What’s more, the entire cast is as international as it gets. We have actors from Istanbul, Denmark, London... and we are shooting in Budapest, which is such a beautiful city, it can’t get better than this.

I have a few projects underway, including a TV series, which is a take on the Second World War (to be released for American and Canadian audiences), but at the present moment I want to focus completely on Inferno and the release of Jurassic World tomorrow. I do hope you will go and see it, you won’t be disappointed.

(As told to Ridhi Kale.)