Actor Irrfan Khan passes away

Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan has passed away at the age of 54, after being admitted yesterday to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai for a colon infection.

He had been admitted to the hospital’s ICU, and his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons were with him. The actor has been unwell ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, and was under treatment for the same.

The actor’s team officially confirmed the news with a statement:

‘I trust, I have surrendered,’ these were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt 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 heaven 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’.

Bollywood filmmaker Shoojit Sircar was among the first to offer his condolences on Twitter, posting, “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.”

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).