Bollywood and international actor Irrfan Khan has passed aged 53.
He was admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben hospital due to a Colon infection. The news of his demise has been shared by friend and filmmaker – Shoojit Sircar.
Sircar tweets: “My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought.
I will always be proud of you. We shall meet again… Condolences to Sutapa and Babil… You too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight.
Peace and Om Shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.”
An official statement from Irrfan’s spokesperson conveys:
“I trust, I have surrendered”; these were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer.
And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen.
It’s saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away.
Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him.
After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer (neuroendocrine tumour), he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it.
Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own.
We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, “As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it”.”
A few days ago, the actor had lost his mother. His mother breathed her last in Jaipur on Saturday.
However, due to the lockdown, the actor couldn’t attend the last rites of his mother.
Background & Career
Born to Muslim parents in the village of Tonk near Jaipur, Irrfan’s mother had a royal lineage but his father was a self-made man.
Eldest of three siblings, Irrfan joined National School of Drama after his father’s death.
Mira Nair is touted to be the first filmmaker to discover his talent and cast him in Salaam Bombay in 1988; a part that was chopped at the editing table.
The two went on to collaborate again in the critically acclaimed The Namesake in 2006 and for the director’s segment in New York, I Love You.
After doing television for years in the 80s, a period of his career that he described as ‘being stuck’, Irrfan found his big break in Aasif Kapadia’s The Warrior.
His career steadily progressed – in India where he went on from playing character roles to headlining films, and then went on to become India’s most celebrated face in the West.
Recognition and applause began internationally, as well as in India… Where we witnessed some grey and on-the-edge performances of his in films like Maqbool and Haasil.
Subsequently, he proceeded to deliver memorable performances in international films such as Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire, The Mighty Heart and Jurassic World.
In his career, he has played a variety of roles which are award-winning and acclaimed. Be it a dacoit-turned-athlete in Paan Singh Tomar or a cop investigating a teenage girl and servant’s murder in Talvar.
At the same time, he also brought a smile on our faces with slice-of-life movies like Billu, Piku, Hindi Medium and Qarib Qarib Single, to name a few.
Overall, his on-screen personas are rugged, ordinary and at times, witty. He brought charisma to celluloid with his organic talent.
He is an actor whose work has never been bound by the brackets and styles of cinema… Plus, they have always been earthy and rooted.
Khan’s final film was Angrezi Medium, ahead of which the actor had shared an empowering video message for his fans, stating that the only choice he had was to remain optimistic.
“One doesn’t have any other choice but to remain positive. Whether you are able to make lemonade in such situations is entirely up to you.
We’ve made this film with the same sort of positivity. I hope this film is able to make you laugh and cry in equal measure.”
Those deep eyes and husky voice, a personality which boasts of confidence and talent that exceeded the paradigms of national and international cinema, has left us.
But alas, we have his courageous spirit and supreme body of work to cherish.
Dear sir, on behalf of Filme Shilmy, may you rest in peace.
