An acting genius lost

The news ofthe death of actor extraordinaire Irrfan Khan was a tough pill to swallow. Theactor turned cancer warrior died of colon infection in Mumbai at the age of 54.He earned a name for himself not only in Indian cinema but also in Hollywood.He had this unique art of injecting grandeur and gravity in any role he played.He was a part of iconic movies like The Lunchbox, Namesake, Life of Pie andSlumdog Millionaire to name a few. He has left behind a splendid legacy oftalented bunch of movies His performances were magical and resonated with theaudience. Every time he appeared on screen, the public looked forward forunconventional and memorable performances. He was a voracious reader and wouldgo through his script many times to get into the character. His dialoguedelivery and expressions were brushed with perfection and finesse.

He was borninto a Muslim family in Jaipur. He dreamt of being a cricketer and was askilled player. In his initial years, he worked as an AC repair man beforelanding into Bollywood. A student of Indian National School of Drama, Irrfanstarted his career with television shows like Chandrakanta, Chanakya and Bharatki khoj based on the works of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. He made his Bollywooddebut with Salaam Bombay directed by ace director Mira Nair. He tasted hissuccess in Hollywood by acting in Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire in2008. There has been no looking back since then and he had a growing clout offans in Hollywood as well. His universal acclaim to success can be attributedto BAFTA Award nominated movie The Lunchbox where he played an accountant whostrikes up a letter-writing romance with Nimrat Kaur. My personal favourite is Namesake,an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jhumpa Lahiri, where he playedthe role of Ashoke Ganguly, an Indian immigrant living in America. He workedwith big names like Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Angelina Jolie, Kelly Macdonaldand many more. He represented India on a global platform with pure acting andnot an iota of over acting.

   

His moviescreated an impact even if he did a cameo. He never shied away from projectingnew and myriad roles. He is known for his nuanced performances across theglobe. He took a break from silver screen after being diagnosed withneuroendocrine tumour in 2018. He was last seen in Angrezi Medium where heplayed the role of a doting father who does everything possible to actualizethe dreams of his daughter. He was a legend of his craft and an undisputed kingof Bollywood.  He acted in over 100 films and was awarded Padma Bhushan inyear 2012. He will be remembered for his versatile roles and iconicperformances. His death has left a void in the hearts of millions of fansacross the world and Bollywood is never going to be same without him. One ofhis iconic dialogues from Paan Singh Tomar is,” bheed main baghi hote hain,dacait milte hain parliament main”. A man of few words and hundred expressions,his contribution to the cinema has been fruitful and will be remembered fortimes to come.

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