Indian movie star and Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan died April 28 in Mumbai, India at the age of 53 after being admitted to the hospital with a colon infection. Two years ago, Khan received treatment for a rare form of cancer.
While best known for his appearances in “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Life of Pi”; Khan has appeared in nearly 150 productions.
Kahn got his big break in “The Warrior” but he made his acting debut in 1986 on the television show “Katha Sagar”. His other appearances include six episodes of “Bharat Ek Khoj”, “Kirdaar”, 47 episodes of the television mini series “The Great Maratha”, 20 episodes of “Chandrakanta”, 312 episodes of “Banegi Apni Baat”, the mini series “Bombay Blue”, 178 episodes of “Jai Hunuman”, “The Namesake”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, “The Lunchbox”, “Jurassic World”, “Inferno”, and his final film released just last month “Angrezi Medium”.
Besides acting Kahn directed 291 episodes of “Banegi Apni Baat” and “Stars Bestsellers: Alvida”; he also was a producer on “Doob – No Bed of Roses”, “The Lunchbox”, and “Star Bestsellers: Fursat Mein”.
His accomplishments include an Indian National Film Award, an Independent Spirit Award, four Filmfare Awards, a Padma Shri award for his contributions to film, and a Cannes Film Festival viewer’s choice award. He was also one of the early Indian film pioneers who crossed the line into Western films.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said via Twitter, “Khan’s demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre.”
He was born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan on January 7, 1967 in Rajasthan. Catching the acting bug early in life, young Irrfan attended the National School of Drama. Sahabzade is an Indian title signifying of royal lineage.
Predeceased by his 95 year old mother Saeeda Begum just days earlier, Khan is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and children Babil and Ayan. Kahn was buried just hours after the announcement of his death.
feature photo credit: By Bollywood Hungama, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16863482