Legendary actor Irfan Khan: Bollywood and Slumdog Millionaire actor dies, aged 53

Bollywood star Irfan Khan has died at the age of 53, it has been confirmed. 

The actor, who also starred in Slumdog Millionaire and Jurassic World, died in a hospital in Mumbai "surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about", his PR agency told media outlets in India.

They added: "A man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen.

"It's saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away.

"We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, 'As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it'."

Khan had been hospitalized while fighting a colon infection.

The sad news came just hours after his representative told fans he was still fighting the illness following premature reports of his death.

Khan was best-known for his extensive work in Hindi films and he also landed roles in a series of Hollywood movies during his decades-spanning career.

Mr. Khan started his career playing small roles on Indian television in the 1980s. He was then offered theatre roles and made his Bollywood film debut in the late 1980s, landing his first lead film role in the 2005 movie Rog. 

Mr. Khan, who was at home in both commercial and art-house projects, stood out in Bollywood for his versatility and his nuanced performances. He first gained the notice of international audiences in the BAFTA-winning film “The Warrior” (2001), in which he had the lead role of a renegade warrior in feudal India.

He later found critical and commercial success with roles in Hollywood movies like Mira Nair’s 2006 drama “The Namesake,” based on a Jhumpa Lahiri novel about Indian immigrants in America, and the multiple Oscar-winners “he landed a part in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), and won the best picture award, and “Life of Pi” (2012).

He also appeared in blockbusters like “Jurassic World” (2015) and the screen adaptation of Dan Brown’s “Inferno” (2016). 

In India, he was best known for his performances in “Maqbool,” “Haasil,” “Paan Singh Tomar,” “Piku,” “The Lunchbox” and “Hindi Medium.”

His portrayal of an investigator of a double homicide in the 2015 Hindi movie “Talvar” prompted Rachel Saltz of The New York Times to write: “Mr. Khan is this movie’s best weapon. Playing a familiar character type, the world-weary detective, he gives a performance, full of small, sly details, that doesn’t seem familiar at all.”

Irfan Khan was born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan on Jan. 7 1967, one of four children of Saeeda Begum and Yaseen Khan, a middle-class couple in the northern state of Rajasthan. He described his childhood as a happy one of kite flying, cricket playing and hunting trips with his father. 

His father died when Mr. Khan was 18, and he said his mother had hoped that he would carry on with the family business and stay close to home. But Mr. Khan had other plans.

He won a coveted spot in the theater program of the prestigious National School of Drama in New Delhi and never looked back.

Khan previously suffered a period of ill-health in 2018 when he was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour.

Mr. Khan appeared to have recovered from the cancer and started shooting his last film, “Angrezi Medium,” in 2019, a sequel to his 2017 hit “Hindi Medium.” The film was released last month, shortly before the coronavirus lock-down started in India, but Mr. Khan was not part of the promotions for the film.

His wife, Sutapa Sikdar, and their two sons survive him.

In a message released with the film’s trailer, the actor said, “I truly wanted to promote this film as passionately as we made it, but there are some ‘unwanted guests’ in my body and they’re keeping me busy. I’ll keep you informed on that front.”

Film actors, directors and other celebrities mourned  his death on social media and called it an unimaginable loss for the film industry. Among those who paid tributes were actors include: