Irrfan Khan, an Indian actor who brought a modern sensibility to recent hit films and hard roles in Hollywood movies such as “Life of Pi” and “The Namesake”, died on Wednesday at age 54.
The death, after a prolonged battle with cancer, was confirmed by a spokesman who said Khan was surrounded by family at the time.
“He fought the many battles that came with it,” the spokesman said in a statement, referring to the diagnosis of Khan’s rare cancer in 2018.
Khan was among the first Indian actors to make a consistent mark in Western cinema, following in the footsteps of crossover pioneers such as Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth and Om Puri.
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Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan in the western desert state of Rajasthan, in a family with no ties to cinema, the actor recalled in interviews that as children, he and his siblings were not allowed to watch movies.
The only exception was when a visiting uncle took them to the theatre.
“An incredible talent,” said Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, among the tributes on Twitter that followed Khan’s death.
“A gracious colleague. A prolific contributor to the world of cinema .. left us too soon creating a huge vacuum.”
Another well-known director, Karan Johar, said: “Thank you for raising the bar as an artist … Thank you for enriching our cinema… We will miss you terribly, Irrfan.”
Reuters/NAN
