Irrfan connects over the phone from Attari, where he is shooting for Anup Singh’s Indo-European film, Qissa, co-produced as a German-Dutch-French NFDC joint venture. “It’s a new experience to see Attari and understand how the border affects the life of the people here,’’ says Irrfan, who gets under the skin of his character — a Sikh — who rebuilds life post-Partition.

Set in the interiors of Punjab in the ’40s, Irrfan believes Qissa is the director’s personal story, drawn from his experiences and the characters he has known. “Partition is just a chapter. The story is about finding one’s roots and fighting against nature. It is a poetic film and I had said no to it initially, for I found the story too painful,’’ he says. But Singh’s persistence paid off and Irrfan gave the nod and now, Qissa is slated for release in 2013.

Doing one film at a time, exploring new characters, living their lives, making more connections is what Irrfan aims for as an actor. “It’s a survival instinct,” he reasons. From Jaipur to Bollywood, Hollywood, and now the world, Irrfan’s come a long way — with his unusual looks and unmatched talent. He refuses to be slotted in art house or commercial cinema or be called a thinking actor. He’s taken risks and leaps of faith, for Irrfan believes an actor should be courageous to make an impact and not merely work on image. “Vidya Balan did it in The Dirty Picture, while Priyanka Chopra shied away from giving in to the dark side in 7 Khoon Maaf — that’s the difference,” he points out. Which takes us to the much-awaited Paan Singh Tomar, a film he’s excited about. After 10 years of tracing the life of Tomar, a Rajput hero and a steeplechase National Award runner who became a rebel — Tigmanshu Dhulia’s film’s being released by UTV Motion Pictures on March 2. “Every film has its own soul. This had my heart,” he says. What pulled Irrfan to the film was how “the system forces someone so pure and patriotic to turn into a rebel”.

After In Treatment, A Mighty Heart and Slumdog Millionaire, this year will see Irrfan in two more international releases — Life Of Pi, in which he plays the elder Pi, and The Amazing Spiderman, where he’s the baddie Nels Van Atter. “Spiderman with director Mark Webber was mind-blowing, while the role in Pi will stay with me forever, for such a book comes once in a lifetime,” he adds.

With roles made to order, Irrfan says he is yet to become a ‘viable’ actor, and for that to happen, he’d like directors such as Dibakar Bannerjee, Anurag Basu and Mani Ratnam to take notice. “I don’t want roles to be written for me; that’ll be limiting. I have realized the importance of story-telling, its potential and magic and how, irrespective of language, it makes an instant connect,’’ he quips.