Noted actor Irrfan Khan dies at 53 in Mumbai hospital

Irrfan Khan, one of the finest Bollywood actors, passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday. The 53-year-old actor was admitted to the intensive care unit of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.

"Actor Irrfan Khan passes away at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai while battling a rare cancer. He was surrounded by his family as he breathed his last," read a statement issued by the family.

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In many ways, he was India's face in Hollywood. He is survived by wife, Sutpada Sikdar and two sons, Babil and Ayan.

Khan was suffering from a rare life-threatening neuroendocrine tumour. He was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai where he passed away. He lost his 95-year-old mother Saeeda Begum in Jaipur just three days ago.

He made his debut with the Academy Award-nominated film Salaam Bombay! (1988). In 1990, he played the role of a journalist in Ek Doctor ki Maut, a film by noted Bengali filmmaker Tapan Sinha that starred Pankaj Kapur.

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He played negative roles in the drama films Haasil (2003) and Maqbool (2004), for the former he won the Filmfare Award for Best Villain. The successful drama Life in a... Metro (2007) marked a turning point in Khan's career, earning him praise and several awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

His portrayal of Paan Singh Tomar in the acclaimed biographical sports drama Paan Singh Tomar (2011), got him the National Film Award for Best Actor and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. His performance in the BAFTA Award-nominated romance The Lunchbox (2013) earned him accolades.

Khan went on to feature in the commercially and critically successful films Haider (2014), Gunday (2014), Piku (2015) and Talvar (2015).

He worked in several international projects such as The Warrior (2001), The Namesake (2006), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), New York, I Love You (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016).

His last film to be released was Angrezi Medium just before lockdown.

His death shook the entertainment industry with many celebrities and politicians giving their condolences.