Irrfan Khan, Vidya Balan’s ‘The Last Tenant’ released after 25 years

A long-unreleased film starring Irrfan Khan and Vidya Balan has finally been released, nearly 25 years after it was made.

Titled “The Last Tenant”, the project premiered on YouTube on April 29, coinciding with Khan’s death anniversary. The film, written and directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, offers an early look at both actors before they rose to prominence.

Shot around 2000, the film remained shelved for decades after its original footage was lost. Dasgupta recently recovered a VHS copy, enabling restoration and release. He described the project as an intuitive early effort, made without formal training or industry backing.

The film is considered one of Balan’s earliest screen appearances and marks her only on-screen collaboration with Khan. Reflecting on its release, she called it “a reminder of where it all began” and described working with Irrfan Khan as a significant experience.

Set around a reclusive musician seeking refuge in an abandoned house before leaving the country, the narrative unfolds through themes of memory, isolation and longing. The low-budget production, made with a small group of emerging actors, reflects a stripped-down, experimental approach to storytelling.

The cast also includes Annu Khandelwal, Saurabh Agarwal, Sabya Saachi, Satish Kalra and Anand Mishra. Within days of its release, the film drew strong online interest, underlining continued audience engagement with Khan’s legacy.

For viewers, the film functions less as a polished release and more as an archival document—capturing two actors at the earliest stage of careers that would later reshape contemporary Indian cinema.