The long-lost film The Last Tenant, starring Irrfan Khan and Vidya Balan, has been released on YouTube, coinciding with the sixth death anniversary of Irrfan Khan on April 29.
According to local media reports, the film premiered on The Salt Inc YouTube channel as a tribute to Irrfan Khan, who passed away on April 29, 2020, following a prolonged battle with neuroendocrine cancer.
Written and directed by Sarthak Dasgupta, the film features a young Irrfan Khan alongside Vidya Balan in one of her earliest screen appearances. It is also the only known on-screen collaboration between the two actors.
The project had remained unreleased for over two decades after its original footage was believed to have been lost. According to the filmmaker, the film was revived after a surviving VHS copy was recovered, enabling its restoration and eventual release.
The synopsis shared on YouTube describes the film as a rediscovered work featuring two performers before their rise to wider recognition, adding that the footage was thought to be permanently lost.
Director Sarthak Dasgupta said he began the project as a novice filmmaker with limited resources and no formal training. He described the release as an emotional moment and a return to a long-forgotten creative journey.
Vidya Balan called the release surreal, noting that it brings back memories of her early career and her experience working with Irrfan Khan at a formative stage of both their journeys.
Produced by Sarthak Dasgupta and Neena Dasgupta under The Salt Inc, the film also features Annu Khandelwal, Saurabh Agarwal, Sabya Saachi, Satish Kalra, and Anand Mishra in supporting roles.
Irrfan Khan, widely regarded as one of Indian cinema’s most versatile actors, is remembered for acclaimed performances in films including The Lunchbox, Piku, Paan Singh Tomar, Maqbool, Haider, and The Namesake.
