As if the quarantine and the novel pandemic was not enough already, we are stuck with yet another shocking news. Just today, Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan who was known internationally for his roles in Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi, and Jurrasic World, had died at the age of 53.
“Life is so beautiful that death has called in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a thing or two of no importance, and gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud.” – Life of Pi.
These lines seem to be hauntingly fitting as we cope with the loss of one of the greatest actors of our generation.
Without a doubt, his death is a huge loss for the Indian Cinema world, where Khan was keen on delivering stories rather than something to past two hours.
Irrfan Khan was diagnosed with Tumor
Though, Irrfan’s death was a shock to many, it might have been predicted by the late actor. In March 2018, the brilliant actor was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare illness that affects the cells responsible for releasing hormones into the bloodstream. The Bollywood actor let his fans know via Twitter.
Likewise, that year, Irrfan underwent treatment in a London hospital. Since then, his fans, as well as peers, have been praying for his speedy recovery from all over the world.
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But the illness seemed to be more severe than we thought. After two months, he came out with his diagnosis, and the actor wrote an open letter briefing about the treatment he was undergoing. In the public letter, fans noticed the pain that Irrfan was going through that ultimately made him uncertain of his life.
Life has a way of unfolding it in such an unpredictable way, but maybe the thought has already dawned on him. Sadly, Irrfan Khan took his last breath on April 29, 2020. At the time, the internationally acclaimed actor, Irrfan was being treated in a hospital in the Western City of Mumbai.
Moreover, his PR company confirmed his death with an official statement that read,
“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.”
Not to mention, many of his Bollywood peers rushed to social media to pay tribute to him. Similarly, many fans have been leaving heartfelt messages and support for his family.
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
For those who don’t know, Irrfan Khan was married to Sutapa Sikdar and has two sons named Babil and Ayan.
Irrfan Khan Reached International Fame Through ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
From the get-go, Irrfan had been about telling stories through the movies rather than something to just gossip about. But he did not get to do what he perceived for a long time.
Born to Saahabzaade Irfan Ali Khan in Jaipur, India, in 1966, the young Irrfan went to drama school after failing as a cricketer. Despite the effort, he struggled to make his way into the film industry.
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Likewise, to his frustration, Irrfan only found regular work in low-grade TV soap operas, and he was not much happy about it.
“I came into this industry to tell stories and do cinema and I was stuck on television.”
Irrfan Khan told in his interview with The Guardian in 2013.
However, in 2010, Irrfan was placed on the radar of Hollywood as he played the role of an inspector in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire. Directed by Danny Boyle, the movie won eight Oscar awards.
Then in later years, we saw Irrfan Khan more on the Hollywood screen, where he starred in movies like Life of Pi(2012), another Oscar Winner, Amazing Spider-Man(2012), Jurassic World(2015), and Inferno(2016).
Despite the hype and demand in Hollywood, Irrfan continued working in Bollywood as well. His movie, The Lunchbox was a box office hit in India.
Other than that, the late actor has been part of many campaigns. It was common to see him in commercial ads, doing voice-over and stuff. Sadly, that will be the only thing keeping him in our memories.
