Prolific Indian actor Irrfan Khan, known for his work in Hindi, British and American cinema passed away today at 53, battling colon infection. Irrfan Khan’s last film was ‘Angrezi Medium’, which hit the screens days before the lockdown. Angrezi Medium’ stopped playing in theatres and was later released on an OTT platform. He made his screen debut with the much-accaimed film Salaam Bombay! (1988) in a minor role as letter boy.
In an ode to one of Bollywood’s most beloved stars we have put together a timeline of his most memorable performance from 2001 to 2020.
The Warrior – 2001
London-based director Asif Kapadia gave him his lead role in the 2001 file The Warrior. A historical film shot in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. A warrior (Khan) who renounces his role as the longtime enforcer to a local lord becomes the prey in a murderous hunt through the Himalayan mountains. The film received critical acclaim and was featured in many international film festivals across the globe.
Road to Ladakh (Short Film)- 2002
Road to Ladakh is a 2002 Indian short film directed, written and produced by Academy Award-nominated director Ashvin Kumar. in the backdrop of Ladakh, India, the film is about a road journey and the strange encounters that follows between Irrfan Khan and Koel Purie.
The Bypass (Short Film)- 2004
The Bypass is a 2003 short silent Bollywood film with actors Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irfan Khan and Sundar Dan Detha. Set somewhere in Rajasthan, two violent muggers and a corrupt police officer but it seems there is something more to the story. Irrfan Khan plays a corrupt police officer.
Shadows of Time – 2004
The first feature-length film of Academy Award-winning director Florian Gallenberger. Irrfan Khan stars as Yani Mishra a customs officer in this 2004 romantic Bengali language German film.
Haasil – 2004
The movie is about student politics in the University of Allahabad. Irrfan Khan played the role of Ranvijay Singh, a political goon involved in student politics. Irrfan Khan won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role for his portrayal of Ranvijay Singh in the movie.
Maqbool- 2004
The film is based on William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, with the Mumbai underworld as its backdrop. Maqbool (Irrfan Khan) is the right-hand man of Jahangir Khan (Pankaj Kapur), a powerful underworld don. Variety wrote that while the visuals are great, audiences might need an understanding of Macbeth to fully enjoy the film. India Today described it as a “haunting operatic tragedy”. Outlook said that it “effectively transported the essence of the story to the milieu of the Bombay underworld of our times”
The Namesake- 2004
The Namesake depicts the struggles of Ashoke and Ashima Ganguli (Irrfan Khan and Tabu), first-generation immigrants from the East Indian state of West Bengal to the United States, and their American-born children Gogol (Kal Penn) and Sonia (Sahira Nair). The film takes place primarily in Kolkata, New York City and New York state suburbs. The film stars Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Kal Penn and Sahira Nair in lead roles.As of 23 February 2009, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 86% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 126 reviews.
Billu- 2009
Billu, also known as Billu Barber, is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film by Priyadarshan. It stars Irrfan Khan as Billu a poor barber who lives with his wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta). Billu lives an uneventful life until Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) comes to the village for a film shoot.
Yeh Saali Zindagi – 2011
Yeh Saali Zindagi is a 2011 Hindi crime thriller film directed by Sudhir Mishra. The film stars Irrfan Khan as Arun a Chartered Accountant who works for Mr. Mehta (Saurabh Shukla) and helps him run his illegal business. On Rotten Tomatoes website Yeh Saali Zindagi has received a 75% fresh rating.
Paan Singh Tomar- 2012
An Indian biographical film based on the true story of the athlete of the same name. Paan Singh Romar becomes a dacoit who wreaks havoc in the Chambal Valley. The film was released domestically on 2 March 2012 to critical acclaim and emerged as a superhit at the box-office, with a domestic net of ₹201.80 million (US$2.8 million).[6] The film won the Best Feature Film and Irrfan Khan won the Best Actor award in the 60th National Film Awards 2012
The Lunchbox- 2013
A romantic film written and directed by Ritesh Batra. It stars Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui in lead roles.l a (Nimrat Kaur) is a young wife seeking her husband’s attention. She cooks delicious lunches for him and sends the lunchbox through the famous Mumbai “dabbawalas,”. However, due to a mix-up, the lunchbox gets delivered, instead, to Saajan Fernandes (Irrfan Khan), a widower who is about to retire from his job as an accountant.
Qissa- 2013
Qissa is a 2013 Indian-German drama film in Punjabi written and directed by Anup Singh. Set during the Partition of India in 1947, Irrfan Khan plays a Sikh Punjabi named Umber Singh who evacuates his house with his wife Mehar (Tisca Chopra)
Piku- 2015
Piku is a 2015 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Shoojit. It stars Deepika Padukone as the titular protagonist, Amitabh Bachchan and Irrfan Khan. The film was nominated for Best Film in the 61st Filmfare Awards, as well as other categories.Irrfan Khan plays Rana Chaudhary who owns a taxi business and is responsible for driving Bhaskar(Amitabh Bachchan) and Piku Banerjee (Deepika Padukone) from Delhi to Kolkata.
Hindi Medium – 2017
Hindi Medium is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Saket Chaudhary. Set in Delhi, the plot centres on Raj Batra (Irrfan Khan) is a boutique owner who lives in Delhi with his wife Mita (Saba Qamar). They have a 5-year-old daughter, Pia (Dishita Sehgal). The couple want Pia to be admitted to a prestigious English-medium school in Delhi as they feel that this will enable her to become a part of the elite of society.
Qarib Qarib Singlle – 2017
The story revolves around Jaya Shashidharan (Parvathy Thiruvothu ), a widow, who lives alone and works at an Insurance Policy company. One day, she meets Yogi (Irrfan Khan), on an online dating website called abtaksinglle.com.
Karwaan- 2018
2018 Indian Hindi-language road film written and directed by debutant Akarsh Khurana. The film is a light-hearted comedy, in which Avinash (Dulquer Salmaan) plays a guy who lives in Bengaluru. Avinash’s friend Shaukat (Irrfan Khan) offers his van and company to travel from Bangalore and exchange the body in Kochi.
Angrezi Medium – 2020
A sequel to the 2017 film Hindi Medium, the film stars Irrfan Khan, Radhika Madan, Deepak Dobriyal and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, plans for a re-release were cancelled and the film was made available digitally less than a month after its release on Disney+ Hotstar.
As Irrfan Khan one of Indian cinema’s finest actors passed away, Prime Minister Modi, Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Anand Mahindra and others paid their respects.
Prime Minister Modi
Irrfan Khan’s demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 29, 2020
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) expresses grief over the demise of Irrfan Khan. pic.twitter.com/4fPZ8K3RdX
— TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) April 29, 2020
Shoaib Akhtar
Rest in peace @irrfank. What a bundle of talent he has been.
Life was full of struggle. Very inspirational.#IrfanKhan #RIPIrrfanKhan pic.twitter.com/FbmiFitmfN
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) April 29, 2020
Kamal Hasan
Too soon to leave @irrfank Ji. Your work always left me in awe. You’re one of the finest actors I know, I wish you stayed longer. You deserved more time. Strength to the family at this time.
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) April 29, 2020
Anand Mahindra
One of actor Bette Davis’ best known quotes was: “Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.” #IrfanKhan you were indeed much larger than life. Life hasn’t left you; you just left life behind… R.I.P https://t.co/Z1JEtVqRY4
— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) April 29, 2020
