Irrfan Khan as Rajit Ratha · 8:17pm Nov 1st, 2023
As quoted from the “Release the WebbCuts” petition’s status update:
In the first movie, there was a character called Rajit Ratha. He was a manager at Oscorp, and he particularly oversaw Dr. Curt Connors’s limb regeneration project, with the full intent of taking the formula to a dying Norman Osborn if a successful one was made. Ironically, Ratha also played a key role in both Peter Parker becoming Spider-Man and Dr. Connors becoming the Lizard.
The character in question was played by Irrfan Khan, who was described as one of the greatest Indian actors around. A couple of his most notable starring roles were that of Simon Masrani in “Jurassic World”, and the adult version of the title character in “Life of Pi”, each movie being released after “The Amazing Spider-Man”.
Marc Webb commented that he was a fan of Khan’s work in the drama series “The Treatment”, as well as his film work in “The Namesake” and “The Warrior”. Khan himself was initially uninterested in being a part of the film, but accepted the role of Ratha at both the excitement and insistence of his two sons, Babil and Ayan. Khan also joined the project because he admired the first movie’s script, and Webb accepted the conditions that Ratha doesn’t become a masked villain or ravenous creature.
Nearly 8 years later, Irrfan Khan died of neuroendocrine cancer on April 29, 2020, at the age of 53.
Before I saw the film, I learned that there were apparently several scenes featuring Ratha that weren’t included in the film as presented. And when I finally saw the film, I noted that the character seemed to just disappear in the midst of the bridge incident. Some may say that he was killed during that time, but if you look back on it, Peter managed to save Ratha’s life after his car was nearly tossed into the river below. This factor only seemed to make Ratha’s sudden absence questionable.
In spite of not every deleted scene being present in the bonus features, or being shown on YouTube, there was also an entire subplot of Ratha investigating Connors’s work and finding out about Connors’s discoveries; and finding out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man and was bitten by one of his father’s radioactive spiders. An alternate scene of Peter discovering Connors’s underground lair in the sewers also depicted Ratha finding the two of them, with the intent of officially claiming Connors’s research and getting Peter to work with him, before the Lizard kills him.
If this subplot had been preserved, it would’ve given a greater resolution & development for Ratha’s character, helped the story be all-the-more intriguing, and showcased more of Khan’s talents as an actor.
It’s pretty much a new reason for why this campaign is important to me. The director’s cut restoring the subplot would be essential for the story, as well as clear up a very big plot hole. It would even serve as a perfect dedication for Irrfan Khan following his death three years ago.
If anyone would like to sign, share, and support the petition, click on the link above the picture:
