Actor Irrfan Khan has died at the age of 54, after being admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital on Tuesday, where was under observation for colon infection. The actor in 2018 had announced that he’d been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour.
The news of his death was shared on Twitter by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar. “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,” he wrote.
Irrfan had undergone treatment abroad for several months in 2019, working on just one project in that time, director Homi Adajania’s Angrezi Medium. The actor lost his mother, Saeeda Begum, on Saturday, and was reported to have attended her funeral via video call. Irrfan’s mother was 95.
Prior to the film’s release, the actor had shared an empowering video message for his fans, stating that the only choice he had was to remain positive. “One doesn’t have any other choice but to remain positive. Whether you are able to make lemonade in such situations is entirely up to you. We’ve made this film with the same sort of positivity. I hope this film is able to make you laugh and cry in equal measure.”
Irrfan’s career spanned several decades and industries. Acclaimed for his roles in Indian cinema, the actor was also involved in several international blockbusters such as Slumdog Millionaire, Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider-Man and Life of Pi.
In India, his most famous films include his debut, the Academy Award nominated Salaam Bombay!, Maqbool (2004), Paan Singh Tomar (2011), The Lunchbox (2013), Haider (2014), Gunday (2014), Piku (2015) and Talvar (2015) and Hindi Medium (2017).
Courtesy Hindustan Times