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| Irrfan Khan (7 January 1967 – 29 April 2020). Photo: Irrfan Khan Twitter |
By Fakir Hassen
The passing of actor Irrfan Khan will definitely leave a void in Bollywood.
I have written many times in the past, every time I reviewed one of his movies that Irrfan was one of the most underrated actors in Bollywood. Despite his unconventional looks, Irrfan had a talent like very few others. He spoke with his eyes and expressions, rather than wordy dialogues, and some of his most memorable scenes are ones in which he does not utter a word. The huge diversity of his roles, in both Bollywood and Hollywood, spoke volumes for his talent.
Irrfan was 53 when he succumbed to colon cancer, which had been plaguing him for the past two years. After receiving treatment and returning to acting, Irrfan told his fans it was “as if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.”
Sadly, Irrfan’s funeral will see most of the Bollywood industry unable to attend, as India, like South Africa, is currently in a state of lockdown due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
The same lockdown prevented Irrfan from attending the funeral of his mother, Saeeda Begum, who passed away in their hometown of Jaipur last Saturday, because he was in Mumbai.
Just two months ago, Irrfan apologised to his fans for not being able to join a nationwide tour to promote his latest release, Angrezi Medium, following up on his hit English Medium of two years ago. The movie had a short run at theatres before the lockdown set in.
Among Irfan’s roles in 86 releases, here are my personal favourites, in no particular order - Maqbool; The Namesake; Billu; Paan Singh Tomar; Life of Pi; The Lunchbox; Haider; Piku; Hindi Medium and Blackmail.
RIP, Irrfan, and thanks for all those entertaining memories which will live on for future generations.
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