Indian cinema's prolific actor Irrfan Khan, who successfully made a huge impact in both Indian cinema and Hollywood, passed away on Wednesday, April 29. The actor was battling the neuroendocrine tumour since 2018. He passed away at the age of 54 at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital where he was admitted for colon infection. He was survived by his wife Sutapa, and sons Babil and Ayan. His last rites were performed on Wednesday afternoon in Mumbai in the presence of his family, close relatives, and friends.
Irrfan Khan was not just Indian cinema's hero, he successfully made his way into international cinema and worked with some of the finest filmmakers like Danny Boyle in Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Natalie Portman in New York, I Love You, Angelina Jolie in A Mighty Heart among others. All of these Hollywood stars paid tribute to the legendary Irrfan Khan.
Natalie took to Instagram to share a picture of herself with Irrfan dressed in bride and groom's attire. “Sending love to Irrfan Khan’s loved ones today,” she wrote. Both of them starred in Mira Nair’s New York I Love You.
Angelina Jolie, who worked with Irrfan in A Mighty Heart, also expressed her grief. She said that she had the privilege of working with him on the film and he stood out for his generosity as an artist and that really made it a pleasure to work in any scene with him. She further remembered the intensity of the commitment he showed and his smile too. She sent her condolences and sympathy to his family, his friends, and all admirers of his work, in India and around the world.
Danny Boyle, the director of Academy winning film Slumdog Millionaire that won 8 Oscars, shared his tribute for Irrfan Khan and called him a wonderful actor while speaking to BBC by video-link. “Irrfan was a wonderful actor and a pivotal figure in the making of Slumdog Millionaire. It wasn’t a huge role, in fact on paper it was even less rewarding looking. But Irrfan saw the possibility of guiding our audience with his dignity, his grace, his charm, his intelligence and his calmness, through this crossword puzzle of an idea, of a film," he said.
“He also reassured one of our most significant partners on the film, Peter Rice of Fox Searchlight, who as a friend before he was involved in the film told me to cast Irrfan Khan in it, whether there was a role for him or not, he said: ‘Just get that guy’. “And then he said, he bought the film, he ended up buying the film and releasing it to put it on its trajectory towards the Academy Awards, and he was no doubt partly enticed by the fact that indeed we had got Irrfan Khan. So thank you Peter Rice, thank you, Irrfan Khan, for a match made in heaven”, Boyle said.
Dan Brown, who wrote the novel Inferno, also paid tribute to the late actor. Irrfan starred alongside Tom Hanks and Felicity Jones in the 2016 adaptation of the film. Taking to his Facebook, he wrote, “Sending love today to all who knew and admired the incomparable Irrfan Khan. Peace.”
Director of Jurassic World, Colin Trevorrow, also paid tribute on social media. “Deeply sad to have lost #IrrfanKhan. A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain. In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember “the wonderful aspects of our existence” in the darkest of days. Here he is, laughing," he wrote alongside Irrfan Khan's picture.
The Office actress Mindy Kaling also took to her social media to speak about the impact of Irrfan Khan's films. "I’m devastated by the news that the legend, Irrfan Khan, passed away at the age of 53. He was my favorite actor. Irrfan’s performances were defined by his subtlety and sensitivity, he could do more with silence and many actors could do with a two page Sorkin monologue. You watched him onscreen and thought “I know that person!” in any role he played, even if he was being chased around Europe in a Da Vinci Code movie with @tomhanks. He once wrote to me to see if we could collaborate on something, and it remains the greatest honor of my career. If you aren’t familiar with his work, please watch Mira Nair’s The Namesake, or Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox. You will become a lifelong fan, I promise. I feel robbed of his future performances. My heart goes out to his family," she wrote on Instagram.
The Academy also paid tribute to the star and wrote, "A mainstay of Bollywood cinema and incredible talent in films like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Life of Pi” and “The Namesake,” Irrfan Khan left his imprint on global cinema. An inspiration to millions, he will be greatly missed."
A mainstay of Bollywood cinema and incredible talent in films like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Life of Pi” and “The Namesake,” Irrfan Khan left his imprint on global cinema. An inspiration to millions, he will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/o21DMMC2o5
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) April 29, 2020
Kunal Nayyar of The Big Bang Theory series said, "Dear Irrfan, you had a way with your eyes that reached out of the screen and lit a fire in my soul. I have waited all day to find the words, but there are none. And there are none still. When I sit down to think, I find my heart in a million little pieces. I always dreamt of sharing the screen with you, and now I’ll have to wait till this dance of mine is over... Light up the heavens while you’re up there Sir, the world needs you, and we are not ready to say goodbye. With all the pieces of my heart, I love you."
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