It was January 2010. We landed in Gulmarg straight from Bombay in our canvas sneakers for the first night’s shoot of 7 Khoon Maaf.
![Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/pddqleaesp-1588352330.jpg)
![Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/rvilfveyyp-1588352109.jpg)
I will always remember it as the coldest night of my life as we shot in knee-deep snow, all night, completely unprepared.
![Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/gzolvaxojj-1588352125.jpg)
What kept us going through that freezing night was the magic unfolding before us – Vishal Bhardwaj directing the magnificently talented Irrfan and Priyanka Chopra in a very dark and psychological scene.
![Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/jzhxifsetd-1588352152.jpg)
![Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/kkozfxkqat-1588352286.jpg)
This duo of Vishal-Irrfan had created cinematic magic before with Maqbool, and it was an honour for me to see their incredible chemistry.
![Vishal Bhardwaj and Irrfan on the sets of 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/mxivfrjqlz-1588352068.jpg)
![Vishal Bhardwaj and Irrfan on the sets of 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/latuqhvxtl-1588352142.jpg)
We shot in Kashmir for 10 days.
![Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/drifyuehqx-1588352397.jpg)
![Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/dnovolfvji-1588352177.jpg)
This was my second film with Vishal as a still photographer, but the only time I worked with Irrfan. He played Waseeullah, an intense, brooding poet. Irrfan’s deep-set eyes and quiet intensity did perfect justice to the part.
![Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/lajeuosugw-1588352299.jpg)
![Irrfan in 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/ogznvrsdnx-1588352559.jpg)
Crowds would throng our shoot to catch a glimpse of him and Priyanka Chopra.
![On the sets of 7 Khoon Maaf. Photo by Aparna Jayakumar.](https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/inline/menyguwbbn-1588352305.jpg)
Irrfan was a pleasure to follow through my lens and I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to make some memorable images of him.
See more of Aparna Jayakumar’s work on her website and Instagram feed.
Also read:
Irrfan (1967-2020): A powerhouse talent gone too soon
Irrfan tribute: The story behind his moving speech in Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi’