On Thursday, the day the great actor Irrfan Khan would have turned 54, many film stars and fans are celebrating his life and cinematic journey, sharing memories and rarely heard anecdotes of one of the greatest of Bollywood's actors.
Irrfan died of a colon infection last April 29 only four days after his 93-year-old mother's death but he'd been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in March 2018. His elder son Babil posted a funny video on Instagram remembering his father who used to find dealing with technology an unequal struggle.
In the home movie, Irrfan - along with his wife Sutapa Sikdar and younger son Ayan - is attempting to do a FaceTime video call with Babil.
Babil also shared an interesting anecdote about Irrfan’s life, saying his father never believed in celebrating his birthday and never encouraged anyone to remember the day.
He concluded the note by writing: “It’s your birthday Baba. Shoutout to all the technologically inept parents, notice that they did not finish saying that they miss me.”
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Paying tribute to Irrfan, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma wrote, "A legendary figure of the industry! You will always be missed and your legacy will live on forever."
Superstar Ayushmann Khurrana also shared a picture of Irrfan and captioned, "You'll always be remembered."
— Sangeeta yadav (@Sangeeta_Yadavv) January 7, 2021
Watching him on screen was a treat for everyone; but for filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, directed him in the film Piku was a fun-filled experience.
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Author Aseem Chhabra, who wrote a biography of the actor titled Irrfan Khan: The Man, The Dreamer, described Irrfan in a post as someone “who revolutionised parallel cinema with his love for the craft, his nonchalance and his passion for storytelling”.
Happy Birthday to the man whose eyes, voice and performances inspired and influenced the last three years of my life. We will always celebrate you. #IrrfanKhan pic.twitter.com/v5J6pqZeA7
— Aseem Chhabra (@chhabs) January 7, 2021
Filmmaker Anees Bazmee also took to social media to pay tribute to the actor and his "humble heart".
To a man who was loved for his work across different film industries worldwide, and whose humble heart touched many lives. Remembering the man and the legend, #IrrfanKhan, on his birth anniversary! #RememberingIrrfanKhan ✨ pic.twitter.com/JbeyaOuQwR
— Anees Bazmee (@BazmeeAnees) January 7, 2021
Calling him “an actor of immense talent”, filmmaker Nila Madhav Panda said on a post that “Irrfan left a beautiful legacy behind to cherish”.
An actor of immense talent, his performances have left audiences in awe, the world over. You left a beautiful legacy behind @irrfank . My humble tributes to #IrrfanKhan on his birth anniversary 🙏
— Nila Madhab PANDA ନୀଳମାଧବ ପଣ୍ଡା (@nilamadhabpanda) January 7, 2021
Many of his fans also took the opportunity to pay tribute to the actor and his impeccable performance.
Fond remembrance on dear Irrfan's Birthday#IrrfanKhan #BirthAnniversary #IrrfanInterview @irrfank
— Irfan (@irfaniyat) January 7, 2021
Link:: https://t.co/OJm8fg8G3M pic.twitter.com/AYANdqkMOC
Remembering the legend #irrfankhan on his birthday anniversary. You are alive in billions of hearts. pic.twitter.com/f5pkx0cx3z
— PATHAN🦁🔥 (@sameersrk02) January 7, 2021
Great actors don't die... They live on through their films and in the hearts of millions of their fans/audiences/admirers.
— Monika Rawal (@monikarawal) January 7, 2021
Happiest Birthday, #IrrfanKhan. May you celebrate ur day with stars shining upon you. 💫💫✨✨#HappyBirthdayIrrfanKhan #HappyBirthdayIrrfan pic.twitter.com/cDppMzs3ch
Remembering this ICON on his birthday! #IrrfanKhan #GoneTooSoon https://t.co/Ajm9IRZgD6
— Deepak Dhar (@deepak30000) January 7, 2021