Irrfan Khan dies at 53 in Mumbai

Irrfan Khan, who was battling neuroendocrine tumour, died on Wednesday in Mumbai. He was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital on Tuesday afternoon due to colon infection.

New Delhi: Actor Irrfan Khan, who battled neuroendocrine tumour, died at the age of 53 on Wednesday in Mumbai. He was admitted in Kokilaben Dhirubhai Hospital on Tuesday afternoon due to colon infection. Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, who directed Irrfan in 'Piku', was the first one to mourn his death on Twitter. He posted a heart-wrenching tweet that read, “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.”

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

Irrfan's team also shared the news with the statement, “'I trust, I have surrendered'. These were some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen. It’s saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. 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 a 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'."

Irrfan is survived by his wife Sutapa and two sons. 

He was born on January 7, 1967, in Jaipur to a Muslim Pashtun family. Irrfan's mother late Saeda Begum (who died a few days ago) belonged to the Tonk Hakim family while his father Yaseen Ali Khan was from the Khajuriya village near Rajasthan's Tonk district.

Irrfan studied at the prestigious National School of Drama (NSD) in 1984. He made his Bollywood debut with 'Salaam Bombay!' in 1988, and the film was also nominated for the Academy Awards that year. He has films such as 'Haasil' and 'Maqbool', 'Paan Singh Tomar', 'Haider', 'Gunday', 'Piku', 'Talvar' and 'Hindi Medium' to his credit. 

Irrfan has been awarded the most prestigious National Film Award, Filmfare amongst many others. In 2011, Irrfan was given the Padma Shri, country's fourth highest civilian honour for his contribution to the field of arts. 'Paan Singh Tomar' won him the National Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. 

In Hollywood, he starred in film such as 'The Warrior', 'The Namesake', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'Slumdog Millionaire', 'New York, I Love You', 'The Amazing Spider-Man', 'Life of Pi', 'Jurassic World' and 'Inferno' to name a few.

Irrfan was last seen in the March release 'Angrezi Medium'.