Indian actor, Irrfan Khan, who brought a modern sensibility to recent hit films and hard roles in Hollywood movies such as “Life of Pi” and “The Namesake”, has been confirmed dead.
The 53-year-old ‘Maqbool’ actor died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, losing his battle with a rare form of cancer, “He fought the many battles that came with it,” his representative said.
Khan who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, lost his mother in Jaipur just four days ago.
The death, after a prolonged battle with cancer, was confirmed by a spokesman who said Khan was surrounded by family at the time.
Khan was among the first Indian actors to make a consistent mark in Western cinema, following in the footsteps of crossover pioneers such as Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth and Om Puri.
Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan in the western desert state of Rajasthan, in a family with no ties to cinema, the actor recalled in interviews that as children, he and his siblings were not allowed to watch movies.
The only exception was when a visiting uncle took them to the theatre.
“An incredible talent,” said Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, among the tributes on Twitter that followed Khan’s death.
“A gracious colleague. A prolific contributor to the world of cinema .. left us too soon creating a huge vacuum.”
Another well-known director, Karan Johar, said: “Thank you for raising the bar as an artist … Thank you for enriching our cinema… We will miss you terribly, Irrfan.”
“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, 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’,” the statement read.
When we thought nothing could make us feel worse,this happened. I think I will refuse to believe you are no more by watching all your work time n again n again n again. I have known you that way n shall continue to know you that way for ever. You ARE the best we have #IrrfanKhan
— taapsee pannu (@taapsee) April 29, 2020
Thank you for those indelible movie memories….thank you for raising the bar as an artist …thank you for enriching our Cinema….we will miss you terribly Irrfan but will always always be immensely grateful for your presence in our lives…..our cinema….we salute you🙏❤️😪
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) April 29, 2020
An actor that every director wanted to work with. A human being that gave his best in every role. Indian film’s most succesful export to Hollywood. A man loved by all. Sad to see #IrrfanKhan leave us, after what we thought was suucesfull fight against cancer. God bess you Irfan .
— Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) April 29, 2020
