Padma Shri awardee actor and one of the finest talents in Bollywood Irrfan Khan passed away on April 29. He was 54. Irrfan Khan was admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital's ICU on April 28 to seek treatment for a colon infection.
The news of his death was shared by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar on Twitter who wrote:
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.— Shoojit Sircar (@ShoojitSircar) April 29, 2020
The statement adds, "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 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 heavenly 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.”
Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar, tweeted his condolences.
Irfan Khan was a versatile actor. Sorry to hear about his demise. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans. Om ShantiRelated stories
— Prakash Javadekar (@PrakashJavdekar) April 29, 2020
Amitabh Bachchan, one of the biggest actors of the Indian film industry, also shared his grief through a tweet.
T 3516 - .. just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan .. this is a most disturbing and sad news ..
An incredible talent .. a gracious colleague .. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum ..
Prayers and duas— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) April 29, 2020
Irrfan Khan who was born in Rajasthan's Tonk district in 1967 was known for his splendid performances in films like Haasil, Maqbool, The Lunchbox, Hindi Medium, Paan Singh Tomar among many others.
Irrfan's acting prowess was also visible in Hollywood films such as The Amazing Spider-Man, The Namesake, Life of Pi, Jurassic World among others. The most notable of them being Academy-award winning Slumdog Millionaire where he portrayed the role of a police inspector alongwith an ensemble cast under the direction of Danny Boyle.
Irrfan Khan also featured in many television serials, most prominent of them being Bharat Ek Khoj, Chandrakanta, Chanakya, Jai Hanuman and Mano Ya Na Mano of which he presented the first season.
Irrfan Khan was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2011 for his contributions to the Indian film industry.
