The Hindi Medium actor, who later dropped 'Khan' from his name as a symbol of foregoing religion and lineage, will be remembered for his honesty, humour and unique approach to life, both on and off-screen
‘The only time Irrfan is serious is when he speaks of his craft. His voice is low, even and deep, and his unblinking gaze remains fixed on your face, as if demanding an equal level of attention’. These are the jottings of the impression that Irrfan Khan left on this reporter, a 21-year-old rookie who interviewed him for a lifestyle magazine, six years ago. In the profile, published in mid-2014, I described how the actor was ruthless with himself when criticised, but was trying to slow down. He was mellowing with age, he had said, learning to look at success and failure more objectively, and taking life as it comes. Irrfan (who later dropped ‘Khan’ from his name, not wanting to be identified with any lineage or religion) passed away on Wednesday in Mumbai after a long battle with cancer. Both onscreen and offscreen, he will be remembered as someone with a slice of introspection in the way he approached anything—coupled with a healthy dose of passion and crystal-clear honesty. The 53-year-old Bollywood star, famous for films such as The Namesake, Paan Singh Tomar, Life of Pi, The Lunchbox and Piku, passed away at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai on Wednesday morning. He was admitted to the ICU on Tuesday, following a colon infection. He is survived by his wife, Sutapa Sikdar, and two sons, Babil and Ayan. Condolences poured in from his friends and colleagues in the film industry, who remembered him as a fun-loving person who believed in the merit of fighting a good fight. “My dear friend Irrfan, you fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you...we shall meet again..” tweeted filmmaker Shoojit Sarcar, who directed Irrfan in the 2016 Hindi film Piku, in a tweet.
(This story appears in the 08 May, 2020 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)