Irrfan Khan: Indian actor dies at 53 after battle with cancer

The Bollywood star was among the first Indian actors to make a consistent mark in Western cinema and had appeared in several Hollywood pictures including Life of Pi and Slumdog Millionaire

Indian film star Irrfan Khan has died at the age of 53 after a prolonged battle with cancer his publicist said on Wednesday.... 

Irrfan was a strong soul  someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him  his publicist said in a statement

Khans international movie career included Hollywood hits such as Slumdog Millionaire Life of Pi and The Amazing Spider Man

Alongside Saeed Jaffrey Roshan Seth and Om Pur  Khan was among the first line of Indian actors to leave a mark in Hollywood and Anglo American cinema

Irrfan Khan, here at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018, also enjoyed a career outside India

I never knew I would be so sad I felt a punch in my heart Adil Hussain who was in Life of Pi with Khan told DW He was able to express himself with the utmost vulnerability and where he embodied the character in a wholesome way to give access to the audience to look at his soul 

Long illness

The actor who was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor in 2018 was admitted to Mumbais Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital earlier this week with a colon infection

After revealing he had been diagnosed with the tumor in 2018 Khan received extensive treatment and recovered well enough to shoot Angrezi Medium the film which would turn out to be his last and whose release this March was cut short because of the coronavirus pandemic The Guardian reported

Breaking into mainstream cinema

He was born Saahabzaade Irfan Ali Khan in Jaipur  the son of a tire seller and went to drama school after failing as a cricketer

The now globally acclaimed Hollywood and Bollywood actor struggled to make headway in the film industry in his early days only finding regular work in small TV soap operas

Khans breakthrough role came with the feature debut of then-unknown British director Asif Kapadia whose 2002 lowbudget film The Warrior was shot in India

The Warrior went on to win the BAFTA award for best British film and was selected for the prestigious San Sebastian film festival

Khan subsequently broke into mainstream films and alongside Bollywood maintained a career in British and Hollywood cinema 

He will be remembered as one of the finest actors in India for sure, and for his contribution to world cinema as well said Adil Hussain He will remain as one of the most revered actors, most respected actors Hes going to be an inspiration to new kind of actors in India to portray roles with a lot of realism which generally wasnt the case in the so called Bollywood film industry