Bollywood star Irrfan Khan, known for his roles in "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Life of Pi," has died today, April 29. He was 53.
The international Indian actor has passed away due to a colon infection. Khan was previously diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor, a rare form of cancer, in 2018. He flew to London to receive treatment shortly after. In February 2019, the Indian film icon briefly returned to India to shoot the Hindi drama-comedy film "Angrezi Medium," which was released a month ago. After the movie shoot, Khan had been going back and forth between London and India for his medical needs and professional commitments.
Deadline, an online entertainment news portal, reported that "the sad news has been confirmed to us by the actor's representatives." The news site shared the statement from Irrfan Khan's family released to the Indian media, opening with an excerpt from his 2018 note shortly after his diagnosis of the rare condition. The family statement remembers the prolific actor as "a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions," noting his deep, expressive eyes, which featured in most of his on-screen portrayals.
"It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away," the statement continued. "Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him."
The news of the 53-year-old actor's passing was met by condolences from fans and fellow actors in the Bollywood industry. Local film legend Amitabh Bachchan described Khan as "An incredible talent... a gracious colleague... a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema," adding that his departure was "too soon" and created "a huge vacuum."
Nimrat Kaur, Irrfan's co-star in the epistolary romance flick "The Lunchbox," mourns the loss of one of India's "biggest icons today."
Khan's Career
Irrfan Khan has made his mark in both Indian and Hollywood cinemas in a career spanning more than three decades and almost 80 films. Khan started his acting career with minor roles in local television shows, landing a cameo role in the 1988 drama movie "Salaam Bombay!" which was unfortunately edited out in the final cut. He started earning a name for himself by starring in "The Warrior," the 2001 British-made film about a Rajasthani warrior looking to give up the sword.
After his breakthrough role, Irrfan Khan was on the fast track to Bollywood stardom with "Haasil" and "Maqbool," drama films released in 2003 and 2004, respectively. To the English-speaking audience, Irrfan Khan was best known as the hardened "Police Inspector" in the 2008 smash hit "Slumdog Millionaire." Khan also played the Oscorp executive opposite Andrew Garfield's turn at the masked web-slinger in "The Amazing Spider-Man." Later that year, Khan also played the adult version of the titular character, Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel in Ang Lee's "Life of Pi."
Even as his career in Hollywood and in the UK took off, Irrfan Khan remained a active in the Bollywood film and television scene. In 2015, Irrfan co-starred in "Jurassic World" as a CEO and owner of the titular dinosaur park before leading in the Indian thriller "Talvar."
His last film was the feel-good "Angrezi Medium" released last March and follows Khan as a single father working to fulfill his daughter's dream of studying in London.
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