The Last Tenant is a film that is currently streaming on YouTube. What makes it special? The film was shot 25 years ago, featuring Irrfan Khan and Vidya Balan, two of the most talented actors of the country. The film was released on YouTube in memory of the late Irrfan Khan, who passed away in 2020.
Vidya Balan watches The Last Tenant
On Thursday, Vidya took to social media to share her emotional reaction after watching the film for the very first time since shooting it, admitting it was a project she had once tried to forget.
Sharing clips from the film on Instagram, Vidya wrote, “Watched The Last Tenant for the first time last night, since I shot for it 25 years ago. I shot for it and then, for some reason, it didn’t see the light of day.”
She went on to recall a difficult phase in her early career. “This happened at a time when nothing I touched seemed to materialise. My first Malayalam film, Chakram, was shelved, following which I was replaced in almost a dozen films over a period of three years. To cut a long story short, like all the other things that didn’t work out at the time, I wanted to forget about it… so I did.”
Vidya said she was recently informed about the film’s release by director Sarthak Dasgupta, bringing back memories of working with Irrfan. “I remembered calling my sister excitedly from the set to tell her that I was shooting with Irrfan Khan from Banegi Apni Baat. I thought he was the most natural actor then, and I felt the same way last night, never a false note or tone.”
She also revealed that she had always regretted not getting the chance to work opposite Irrfan again. “Since Irrfan’s passing, I have rued the fact that a couple of films that would’ve had us play opposite each other didn’t materialise. But now I at least have The Last Tenant.”
When the film was almost lost forever
The Last Tenant remained unreleased for over two decades. While waiting for the right platform, director Sarthak Dasgupta reportedly lost the film’s original footage, only to recently rediscover a VHS copy. The project marked Sarthak’s directorial debut, made shortly after he left his corporate career to pursue filmmaking. He later went on to direct projects such as Music Teacher, 200 Halla Ho, and the web series Dharavi Bank.