Life of Pi actor dies at 53
Indian Bollywood heavyweight Irrfan Khan, who starred in movies that broke through to the western cinematic barrier and made its own place among some of the great classics, including Slumdog Millionaire and Life of Pi, has passed away at the age of 53.
Khan’s death was confirmed on Wednesday in a brief statement given by a spokesman.
“He fought the many battles that came with it,” the spokesman said, referring to the diagnosis of Khan’s rare cancer in 2018.
He was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018 and underwent extensive treatment in London.
Khan became one of the first Indian actors to make a name for himself in western cinema and was soon considered a legend in Bollywood.
The star had Hollywood success in “Jurassic World”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, “The Namesake” and “Inferno”.
After being diagnosed with cancer, he became well enough to shoot for his last film, Angrezi Medium, which was unfortunately cut short when the coronavirus spread.
Khan was admitted into intensive care on Tuesday at Mumbai’s Kokilaben hospital with a colon infection.
The star was born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan in the western desert state of Rajasthan, into a family that had no ties to cinema.
He recalled in interviews that he and his siblings were not permitted to watch movies as children
The only exception was when a visiting uncle took them to the theatre.
“An incredible talent,” Bollywood superstar said of Amitabh Bachchan, among the numerous tributes on Twitter.
“A gracious colleague. A prolific contributor to the world of cinema .. left us too soon creating a huge vacuum.”
Director Karan Johar, wrote, “Thank you for raising the bar as an artist … Thank you for enriching our cinema… We will miss you terribly, Irrfan.”
Khan is survived by his wife Sutapa and sons Babil and Ayan.