Bollywood's famous actor Irrfan Khan died on Wednesday in Mumbai. He was 54 years old. On Tuesday, he was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital in Andheri after his health deteriorated. There is a wave of mourning in the entire Bollywood due to the death of Irrfan. Irfan was also suffering from a disease called neuro-endocrine tumor. For which he was treated for a year living in Britain. Irfan returned to India in April 2019 after treatment. Post operation, he also completed the shooting of his English medium film. However, due to the lockdown, the film could not be released in theaters properly.
Khan was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, to a Muslim Pashtun family. Irrfan was selected for the CK Nayudu Tournament (for emerging players under 23 years, a stepping stone to First Class cricket). He did not turn up for the tournament owing to lack of funds.He was studying for his MA degree when he earned a scholarship to study at National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi in 1984.
After moving to Mumbai, where he acted in television serials like Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta, Shrikant (Doordarshan), AnooGoonj on Doordarshan, Star Bestsellers (Star Plus), and Sparsh. Earlier, he had acted in a teleplay on Doordarshan named Laal Ghaas Par Neele Ghode where he played Lenin. It was based on a translation by Uday Prakash of a Russian play by Mikhail Shatrov.
Theatre and television kept him afloat until Mira Nair offered him a cameo in Salaam Bombay! (1988) though his role was edited out in the final film.
In the 1990s, he appeared in the critically acclaimed films Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Such a Long Journey (1998) and various other films which went unnoticed. In 1998, Khan played role of "Rantnakar" the Bandit, aka "Valmiki" who was BANDIT and turned into the well known Monk / Poet who wrote "The Ramayana" in Sanjay Khan's serial "Jay Hanuman". After many unsuccessful films, things changed when London-based director Asif Kapadia gave him the lead in The Warrior, a historical film completed in 11 weeks on location in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. In 2001 The Warrior opened in international film festivals, making Khan a known face.
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