One of the Indian Cinema's finest actor, Irrfan Khan breathed his last today morning. The 53-year-old actor who was known for his versatility and effortless acting was admitted in Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection but Irrfan had been ailing ever since he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour a little over two years ago and was under medical attention for the same.
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who worked with Irrfan Khan in Piku, called him an incredible talent and a gracious colleague.
Rajkummar Rao shared on Instagram: "Today is a huge loss for the industry, our country & for artists all over the world. Irrfan Sir was one of the finest actors of Indian cinema & I will always cherish all the times I spent with him, listening to him and learning from his conversations of art, life and so much more. I pray his family finds the love and strength needed to forge ahead. Irrfan sir, I love you and we will always miss you."
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Penning a heartfelt tribute to her 7 Khoon Maaf co-actor, Priyanka Chopra wrote, "The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us."
Shah Rukh Khan, who cast Irrfan in the title role of his 2009 production "Billu", remembered him as a "friend, inspiration and the greatest actor" of his times".
In his tweet, SRK wrote: "My friend...inspiration & the greatest actor of our times. Allah bless your soul Irrfan bhai...will miss you as much as cherish the fact that you were part of our lives. Paimana kahe hai koi, maikhana kahe hai duniya teri ankhon ko bhi, kya kya na kahe hain...Love u."
Kamal Haasan, the Ulaganayagan of Tamil film industry, too took to Twitter to express his awe for the actor. Calling him one of the finest actors he know, Kamal Haasan said, "I wish you stayed longer. You deserved more time."
Irrfan's Piku co-star Deepika Padukone shared a black screen on her Facebook wall to mourn the loss of the actor. The actress used a heartbroken emoji along with the hashtag #irrfankhan.
Aamir Khan called Irrfan a "wonderful talent". He tweeted: "Very sad to hear about our dear colleague Irrfan. How tragic and sad. Such a wonderful talent. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Thank you Irrfan for all the joy you have brought to our lives through your work. You will be fondly remembered."
Salman Khan described Irrfan's demise with this tweet: "Big loss to the film industry, his fans, all of us n specially his family. My heart goes out to his family. May God give them strength. Rest in peace brother u shall always be missed n be in all our hearts.."
Anushka Sharma called Irrfan a "phenomenal actor" and wrote: "With a heavy heart I post this tweet . A phenomenal actor , such an inspiration his performances have been for me . He battled for his life but sadly leaves us today . RIP Irrfan Khan . OM Shanti."
Veteran singer Lata Mangeshkar tweeted: "Bahut guni abhineta Irrfan Khan ji ke nidhan ki khabar sunkar mujhe bahut dukh hua. Main unko vinamra shraddhanjali arpan karti hun." (I am deeply saddened to learn about the demise of extremely talented actor Irrfan Khan ji. I pay my respect to him.)
Filmmaker Hansal Mehta took to Twitter to express: "Devastated. Irrfan Khan I owe you one. The reason will always remain our little secret. Something we will share like today. See you again. Until then you will live on in this world through your exceptional art."
Varun Dhawan expressed: "I loved watching every film of his. Whenever I interacted with him he always told me to be kind to people. His passion and love for acting was next to spirituality. Thank u irfan sir. RIP #irfankhan Saab"
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Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar recalled some old memories with his "great friend" and wrote: "I've worked with #IrrfanKhan in 2004 film AAN men at work, in 2011 we both got award in Cairo film festival, we had a great bounding there, he will be always known to be Brilliant & Versatile Actor, a wonderful human being and a great friend. His untimely demise is a great loss to the Films Industry. My deepest condolences to his family & friends. RIP my friend."
Noted comedian Johnny Lever expressed that a meeting with Irrfan was due after the lockdown. He tweeted: "Very sad to hear about @irrfank. Was going to meet him after the lockdown. A great artist like him will surely be missed. My condolences and prayers for his family. May he rest in peace. #IrrfanKhan"
Radhika Apte posted on Instagram: "What a devastating loss. Absolutely heartbroken."
Vinay Pathak wrote: "Absolutely gutted! It's the most devastating n heartbreaking. An era has truly ended.The most magnificent n immensely talented and gifted thespian of all time @irrfank. You'd always be amongst us khan sahab, And never be forgotten!"
Dulquer Salman, Irrfan's co-actor in the movie Karwaan, took to his handle to share his grief. In a lengthy post, he recollected his memories of the late actor during his shoot days. "Thanks to you, all through the shoot, I had a constant smile plastered on my face. I laughed endlessly, struggled to keep a straight face and so often started at you in absolute awe," wrote Dulquer.
Richa Chadha shared a photo with the late actor and wrote: "THE Khan! This is the only picture I have with you ... 2013, backstage, after winning our respective FF (critics) awards, we were ushered away to take ‘winner' photos... you won for Paan Singh Tomar... a performance so real, it was unbelievable. We met several times after... I even sought you ought for advice, which you gave patiently... rolling a slim cigarette, sipping on black tea... laughing ... talking cinema, politics, spirituality... Today you became one with God... your body suffered in the last two years immeasurably and you fought, fought hard! Even those who didn't have the good fortune of meeting you feel cheated this morning... the loss is personal, there's a heaviness about the day... and it will remain that way... perhaps that's what it means to be a true artist, a people's star! Those who knew you were lucky to be touched by your light... your humour, kindness, your evolved attitude towards life... perhaps that's why God wanted you sooner ? My logical brain gets it, (and I am happy the suffering of your bodily form is over)... but my heart weeps...
I mourn along with millions. But the transmission doesn't end, even when the instrument breaks down ... the body maybe gone... but your soul lives on... your legacy is ours to rejoice in! When I miss your talent, I shall watch any of your countless performances... learn and smile ...head bowed in respect... folded hands! You're in a better place, we were lucky to have you for a little while! Gutted."
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Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt shared on Instagram: "Maine dil se kaha, dhoond laana khushi Nasamajh laya gum, to yeh gum hi sahi...Remember singing this song holding his hand when I met him after he was diagnosed . He smiled . The warmth of that smile lingers . Alvida dost."
Calling the actor "coolest guy", Parineeti Chopra shared: "Irrfan sir, you were the nicest, coolest guy. Every interaction with you was so memorable. The world has lost the most talented actor, the nicest human being and a real fighter!! All my love and strength to the family. #RIP #IrrfanKhan"
Popular Malayalam actor Prithviraj Sukumaran too took to Twitter to offer his condolences.
Irrfan's "Life In A Metro" co-star Shilpa Shetty Kundra exressed: "I'm numb today... I haven't been able to accept the loss of a brilliant co-actor & a fabulous person that @irrfank was! We've lost a gem today... but his legacy will live on through the phenomenal body of work that he has left behind. Rest in peace, Irrfan!"
Kangana Ranaut had shared the screen with Irrfan Khan in movies like "Life In A Metro" (2007) and "Kock Out" (2010). The actress' team shared on Twitter: "This day has come as a dark unsettling grim emotion. Irrfan Khan is a great self made artist, he rose from doing small character roles in TV soaps to working in academy award winning films as a lead artist, My heart is deeply disturbed at this loss "- #KanganaRanaut
#IrrfanKhan."
"Life In A Metro" director Anurag Basu tweeted: "#IrrfanKhan Indian cinema will not be the same again without you Dost!
Wish i had one more chance to work with you again! Sutapadi ,You're the Bravest person I know. My heartfelt condolences to You Babli and Ayan."
Calling his demise 'a monumental loss', Veteran actress Dipti Naval took to Instagram to extend her condolences.
Veteran actor Dharmendra tweeted: "Occasional meetings with Irrfan were always affectionate.I use to pray for his health since I heard about his illness.Saddened to hear of his untimely death. My heartfelt condolences to the family. May god give them strength during this painful time. Irrfan tujhe jannat naseeb ho." (May you rest in heaven Irrfan).
Another co-star from "Haider" and "Life In A Metro" Kay Kay Menon posted a quote by Irrfan Khan on Instagram, which reads: "I want to entertain people but with some substance." Menon wrote below: "You did Brother! You did!! And so SPLENDIDLY!! RIP #irrfankhan
Shocked & grieved for words!!
Om Shanti!"
Actress Shraddha Kapoor, who worked with the actor in Haider, called him a magician on the big screen.
Irrfan's "Knock Out" (2010) and "D-Day" (2013) Sanjay Dutt shared that he has lost a "younger brother". The actor tweeted: "He was fighting this war since a long time and just when I thought he had won it, life gave us a big jolt. He never gave up, he fought with a smile on his face and hope in his heart till the very last breath. The warmest, kindest soul I knew, I have lost a younger brother today. I will cherish all the beautiful memories I have with him for the rest of time and beyond. Having experienced this loss in my life before, I can't even begin to imagine the pain that his family must be going through. I sincerely pray that God give them the strength to deal with this tough time. Gone too soon brother!"
Irrfan Khan's 2008 film "Sunday" co-star Ajay Devgn tweeted: "Heartbroken to hear about Irrfan's untimely demise. It's an irreparable loss for Indian cinema. Deepest condolences to his wife & sons. RIP Irrfan."
Raveena Tandon who shared the screen with Irrfan Khan in the movies "Aan: Men at work" (2004) and "Ghaath" (2000) expressed: "A fantastic costar, an actor par excellence ,and a beautiful human being , you are irreplaceable #irrfankhan. ?@irrfank?. We lost you too soon! Unbelievable. Om Shanti."
Abhishek Bachchan tweeted: "Very sad to hear of Irrfan's passing. An immense talent! An actor for whom I had great admiration. My condolences to the family. Rest in Glory!"
Expressing condolences to Irrfan Khan's family, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar tweeted Wednesday morning: "My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute."
Shoojit Sircar had directed Irrfan in his 2015 movie Piku, which also starred Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan.
Calling him a remarkable actor and unmatched talent, actor Anil Kapoor thanked Irrfan for guiding his daughter Sonam.
Sonam Kapoor revealed how her "Thank You" (2011) co-star Irrfan had encouraged her at a time when she was feeling low. The actress tweeted: "Rest in peace irrfan sir. You have no idea what your kindness and encouragement meant to me at my lowest. My condolences to your family and loved ones."
"Such terrible news...saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time," wrote Akshay Kumar who was shocked by his untimely demise.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher wrote, "Nothing can be more heartbreaking and tragic than the news of passing away of a dear friend, one of the finest actors and a wonderful human being #IrrfanKhan. Saddest day!! May his soul rest in peace. #OmShanti" and shared a video message.
Tollywood superstar Mahesh Babu, who has earlier worked with Irrfan in the 2006 Telugu film, Sainikudu, expressed his heartfelt condolences.
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