Rest in peace, Irrfan
‘His passing away is cinema’s loss. We’ll miss him dearly’
– FILM DIRECTOR ANG LEE
He was one had recently died. Having made his debut in 1985, Irrfan was a veteran of the Indian film industry and was also well known to western audiences thanks to roles in Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008), book adaptation Life of Pi (2012) and blockbuster Jurassic World (2015). Late last month Irrfan, who’d been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, passed away in Mumbai aged 53 due to a colon infection. He’s survived by his wife, film producer Sutapa Sikdar (52), and their sons, Babil (22) and Ayan (19). Actors Priyanka Chopra, Riz Ahmed and Mindy Kaling were among those who took to social media to pay tribute to the star. Life of Pi director Ang Lee issued a statement describing Irrfan as “a great artist, a true gentleman and a brave fighter”. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi also issued a statement, calling the actor’s death “a loss to the world of cinema and theatre” and saying he’ll “be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums”.
