Irrfan Khan*

With fond memories of Irrfan Khan…

Irrfan Khan, a critically acclaimed and charismatic Indian actor, was born on January 7, 1967, in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Irrfan studied at the National School of Drama in 1984, and after moving to Mumbai to act in several television serials. After several unnoticed or unsuccessful films, he got a break as the lead in the British-Indian historical film ‘The Warrior’ (2001). In 2003, Irrfan played the lead in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Maqbool’. In 2004, Irrfan won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for ‘Haasil’, and in 2007, he won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for ‘Metro’. In 2012, Irrfan won both the Filmfare and National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance as ‘Paan Singh Tomar’. In 2013, his performance as a lonely widow in ‘The Lunchbox’ has been widely praised. Irrfan has also appeared in several Hollywood and British films including: ‘The Namesake” (2007), ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (2008), The Amazing Spider-Man’ (2012), Life of Pi’ (2012), and ‘Jurassic World’ (2015). He has also won praise for such films as: ‘Haider’ (2014), ‘Piku’ (20 15), and ‘Talvar’ (2015). In 2017, Irrfan won a FilmfarAward for Best Actor in ‘Hindi Medium’ his highest-grossing Hindi release. Irrfan was the recipient of a Padma Shri from the Indian government in 2011. In March of 2018, he made it known that he had been suffering from a brain tumor and sought treatment in London. Irrfan died on April 29, 2020, following an infection.