Legendary actor Irrfan breathed his last on Wednesday at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Ambani Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment for a colon infection. He had been battling health issues for two years.
In 2018, Irrfan was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour (a type of cancer), for which he underwent treatment in the UK and returned to India to complete the shoot of his last film – Angrezi Medium, released earlier this year.
Having starred in over 50 Indian films, Irrfan also featured in several big-budget international projects, including the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi, Jurassic World, The Amazing Spiderman, and Inferno.
Born in 1967 in India’s Pink City – Jaipur – Irrfan contributed to the global entertainment industry with his diverse acting skills for over 30 years. In 1988, he made his debut on the silver screen with the movie “Salaam Bombay!” – which went on to become an Academy Award nominee.
The news of his demise – which comes just three days after his mother died in Jaipur aged 95 – was first shared on Twitter by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar.
What followed Sircar’s tweet was an overwhelming flood of messages from Bollywood biggies, including Amitabh Bachchan, Karan Johar, and Ajay Devgn, among others, along with heartfelt condolences from Irrfan’s fans around the world.
Of the host of awards he received for his work, the actor was also conferred with the coveted Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour in India.
In 2015, when the actor bagged a role in the movie Jurassic World, he told a Hollywood reporter, “When the first Jurassic Park came out, I barely had the money to see it, and now after 22 years, I’m playing a part, in this” – a quote that inspired millions around the world.
In the last posts on his Twitter handle, the actor expressed compassion for the exodus of migrant labourers who were walking across India to reach their respective hometowns after a nationwide lockdown was imposed in the country to tackle the coronavirus situation.
After the release of his last film, Irrfan, who could not be a part of its promotions due to health reasons, left the audience with the last of his addresses via an audio message. The last line of his audio message ironically said, "wait for me."
His message is also circulating heavily on social media.
Irrfan is now survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Babil and Ayan.