“I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye” (Life of Pi). He came with an infectious smile in our hearts, gave us innumerous reelmoments and bade adieu gently. An outstanding actor of our generation, who crafted his roles so effortlessly that audience was convinced they were watching something in real and not in reel. An actor extraordinaire, Irrfan Khan passed away on Wednesday at the age of 53. He was fighting against cancer and left us too soon.
During last two decades, Khan stunned audience with audacious roles. He gave characters like Maqbool (Maqbool), “Paan Singh Tomar (Paan Singh Tomar), Pi Patel (Life of Pi) or middle aged SaajanFernandes (The Lunchbox) their own identity. It is as if these fictitious characters lived and breathed in reality. And that’s why his untimely death has ever felt so personal and has left us numb. The amazingly gifted actor also portrayed his roles seamlessly in Hollywood. In fact, he was India’s prominent face in Hollywood. Yet, he was never bothered to show off his Hollywood credentials and remained gracious and unassuming.
Like Rituparno Ghosh, one of the country’s best and versatile filmmakers in the post-Satyajit Ray generation, who died at the age of 49, Irrfan Khan’s death is a huge loss for the world cinema. Irrfan Khan enriched cinema and by doing so, enriched our lives as well. To sum up, let me quote Roohdar (a role he played in Haider).
“Darya bhi main, darakhtbhi main ... Jhelum bhi main, chinar bhi main ... dairbhihoon, haram bhihoon ... Shai bhihoon, Sunni bhihoon, main hoonpandit ... main tha, main hoonaur main hi rahoonga.”
Rest in Peace Irrfan. You will forever live in our hearts.
Samaresh Barman,
Tezpur University