Remembering Irrfan Khan: An actor par excellence who wowed critics and cinegoers alike

One of the finest actors of all time --- this is one common sentiment you will see in all tributes that have poured in on social media for actor Irrfan Khan, who passed away today.

It was in 2018 when Irrfan had shared about his illness on Twitter. The actor, who was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour, was undergoing treatment.

But after a brief break, Irrfan was back on to the sets of Angrezi Medium, a movie which the actor said was very special to him.

The film will not only remain special to him but to all his fans and friends as it was the last time he was seen on the big screen.

And when it comes to his big screen ventures, many had a perfect mix of good reviews and box office success.

Hindi Medium, for instance, was made on a budget of Rs 23 crore and went on to mint Rs 63 crore at the domestic box office.

In China, within three days of its release, Hindi Medium collected over Rs 102 crore.

Similarly in Hong Kong, the movie received rave reviews. The preview screenings of the film alone collected Rs 45.21 lakh in two days. As for the box office collection, Hindi Medium minted around Rs 1.61 crore in four days of its release in Hong Kong. The numbers are strong considering the limited number of shows the film had in the country.

Along with Hindi Medium, Irrfan delivered many films that tasted box office success with strong returns like his 2015 venture Piku, which was made on a budget of Rs 42 crore and went on to collect over Rs 78 crore.

Irrfan had also managed to carve out a niche for himself in Hollywood.

From Inferno to Jurassic World, the actor made is presence felt across the globe. The fourth installment of the Jurassic Park film series, which released in 2015 roared past a billion dollars in collection.

And who can forget the 2008 Oscar winning venture Slumdog Millionaire.

In his over three-decade long career in the film industry, Khan featured in 85 movies.

While many of his movies in the initial years did not score well at the box office despite having good content, the actor managed to set that right in the later stage of his career.