After the devastating news last week of the death of Irrfan Khan – an icon of Indian cinema, we look back in celebration of his life and cinematic career.
Irrfan Khan was only 53 when he died on 29 April 2020 after being admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaven intensive care unit with a colon infection. However, he leaves behind a great acting legacy that pathes the way for many aspiring Indian actors wanting to achieve as much as he did around the globe.
Khan always showed an interest towards acting from a young age as he did several stage performances back in Jaipur in India. As he got older, he completed his Masters in Jaipur before joining the National School of Drama in Dehli in 1984 to study acting, where he also met his future wife and fellow writing student Sutapa Sikdar, who he went on to have two sons with.
His career spanned over 30 years, but just like any actor of great standing, the start was always a struggle. Irrfan made his film debut in a small role all the way back in 1988 in Salaam Bombay! It wasn’t until 2001 he finally made his breakthrough (the breakthrough the world was waiting for) in the British film The Warrior.
From there the film roles came one after another including roles in The Namesake in 2006 – which gained him critical acclaim, as well as depicting the title character of Paan Singh Tomar in 2011 which won him the National Film Award for Best Actor.
Some of his more notable roles which will be more familiar to younger audiences like us include Slumdog Millionaire in 2008 where he starred alongside Dev Patel which told the story of an 18-year-old from the slums of Mumbai. Slumdog Millionaire is perhaps one of the most outstanding films of his career as it went on to win eight Academy awards including the Academy award for Best Picture in 2009.
Other popular films that he appeared in included Life of Pi (2012), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and Jurassic World (2015).
Unfortunately, in March 2018 Khan announced in a tweet to millions around the world he was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour, which he sought treatment for in the UK for a whole year and then eventually returned to India in February 2019. Then on 28 April 2020 he was rushed to the Kokilaben hospital in Mumbai and received treatment for a colon infection. However, he unfortunately passed away the next day at 53 years old.
Fellow Bollywood actors paid tribute to the great actor that was Irrfan Khan including Kamal Haasan, Himesh Reshammiya and Ram Kapoor.
Irrfan Khan won’t only be remembered for the roles he played in award winning films that proved popular around the globe, but also for the legacy he leaves behind for aspiring Bollywood actors in the making as he is their role model, and shows them that dreams really can come true.
By Katie Green
Feature image: Khaleej Times