“May be somewhere in the pursuit of winning we forget how much it means to be loved. In our vulnerability, we are reminded. As I leave my footprints onto these steps of my life, I want to pause to be grateful for receiving your immense love and support…” Irrfan Khan, one of the most versatile and respected actors in Hindi cinema who passed away in Mumbai today tweeted this last year in April.
As fans and colleagues across the country mourn his death, his words ring true.
Politicians such as Rahul Gandhi, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Prakash Javadekar also took to Twitter to pay their tributes to the Piku actor.
The 53-year-old actor was admitted to a hospital for a colon infection a couple of days back and succumbed to it earlier today.
The actor was ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour a while ago, and had been under medical attention for the same.
Director Shoojit Sircar, who worked with Khan in Piku, took to Twitter to express his grief over the actor's demise.
Sircar tweeted, '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.'
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who worked with Khan in 7 Khoon Maaf shared a picture of the two on Twitter and wrote, 'The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family.'
In a career spanning over 30 years, Khan received several awards including the National Award for Best Actor in 2011 for his portrayal of Paan Singh Tomar in the acclaimed biographical sports drama of the same name.
In the same year he was also awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts.
Some of his most memorable roles were in Maqbool (2004), The Namesake (2006), The Lunchbox (2013), Piku (2015), Talvar (2015).
A still from Maqbool YouTube/HindiMovies HD
Khan, an alumnus of the National School of Drama made a seamless transition to the West and was seen in several Hollywood blockbusters including Slumdog Millionaire (2008), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016).
His highest-grossing Hindi film release came with the comedy-drama Hindi Medium (2017), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.
A still from Jurassic World YouTube/ScoopWhoop
Khan’s last film was the comedy Angrezi Medium, a sequel to Hindi Medium. It was the last-released Hindi film before Covid-19 forced complete shutdown of cinema halls. Angrezi Medium marked Khan’s return despite his ailing condition.
Taking to Twitter, Amitabh Bachhan, who worked with Khan in Piku said “An incredible talent, a gracious colleague, a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema left us too soon creating a huge vaccum…”
Kamal Haasan said: “Your work always left me in awe. You are one of the finest actors I know. I wish you stayed longer…”
Twitterati pay tribute
Tweets poured in from Irrfan's friends and fans and other celebrities alike condoling his demise.
Actress Raveena Tandon lamented the actor's untimely death.
Irrfan's colleague and actor Anupam Kher uploaded a video praising the actor's skills and condoling his death.
Other personalities from the industry such as Suzanne Bernert, Urmila Matondkar, Nandita Das and Manisha Koirala Sudhir Mishra expressed sadness over his death.
