2012 Cricket Controversy

• In 2012, Irrfan made some comments about the need to modernize cricket that drew the ire of a local political party. However, the actor diffused the situation quickly with an apology and clarification of his remarks.

Plagiarism Allegations

• 2016: Khan was accused of plagiarism for his film “Qarib Qarib Singlle”. The film’s director, Tanuja Chandra, claimed that Khan had copied the story from her own script, which she had written in 2009. Khan denied the allegations and said that he had come up with the story independently.

Criticism for “Hindi Medium”

• 2017: Khan was criticized for his decision to star in the film “Hindi Medium”. The film was about a lower-middle-class family who tries to get their daughter into an elite school. Some people felt that the film was insensitive to the struggles of the poor. Khan defended the film, saying that it was a satire and that it was not meant to be taken seriously.

Backlash for Tweet About Holy Man

• 2018: Khan was accused of promoting superstition after he tweeted a picture of himself with a holy man. The tweet was met with backlash from some people who felt that Khan was promoting blind faith. Khan later apologized for the tweet, saying that he did not mean to offend anyone.

Minor Film Controversies

• In 2018, some minor controversies erupted related to his films:
  • Irrfan received some criticism from Hindu groups regarding his film Karwaan, alleging it hurt religious sentiments. However, this did not escalate beyond protests.
  • His film Blackmail also had some groups objecting to its adult comedy genre. But the movie went on to succeed at the box office.

Reputation in the Film Industry

• Other than these minor incidents, Irrfan largely avoided controversy and was only in the news for his outstanding acting achievements up until his untimely demise in 2020.
• Overall, he maintained a clean reputation in the Indian film industry throughout his career.