From ‘Piku’ to ‘The Lunchbox,’ actor Irrfan Khan built his reputation and a legacy that will live on forever. Without a doubt, he was one of the most talented actors in Bollywood, and he gave us an incredible list of films. His death in April 2020 was a shock, and the entire country mourned his passing after a long battle with cancer. Almost two years have passed, and now, on his 55th birthday, his wife and writer Sutapa Sikdar shared rare insights about the late actor.
In fact, after Irrfan Khan’s tragic death in 2020, Sutapa Sikdar has become the emotional link between the actor and his fans all over the world, mesmerizing them with rare insights about him. He lives in her and through her in cinephile reminiscences.
Sutapa revealed in a heartfelt Facebook post last year that she and her friends sang a few of Irrfan Khan’s “favourite songs” to him the night before his death. Sutapa told Pinkvilla that Irrfan was unconscious at the moment, but tears were streaming down his face. Sutapa responded to a question about the songs she sang for him by saying, “Jhoola kinne dala re, amraiya, jhoole mora saiyaan, loon main baliyaan… from Umrao Jaan, Lag jaa gale ke phir yeh haseen raat ho na ho (Woh Kaun Thi?), the ghazal Aaj jaane ki zid na karo… and some Rabindra sangeet. He was unconscious but he had tears rolling down.”
He is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and two sons Babli Khan and Ayan Khan. For two years, the talented actor battled a rare form of cancer known as Neuroendocrine Tumour, and he first revealed his illness on social media.
Sutapa decided to share a lengthy note last year on Irrfan’s death anniversary, describing how difficult the days were after the late actor’s death, “The days went by with umpteen responsibilities, some extremely new ones like signature galore for changing of the name. My fingers kept stopping on that how could I just take his name away and make it Sutapa, I was unable to sign. Took a day off and the name game played on my mind. Like a film in a projector,” Sutapa had written.
They were polar opposites as a couple. He expressed himself in the cinema through his metal in acting, whereas she expressed herself through words. He was reserved and quiet, whereas she was fiery and enticing. Regardless, they were soulmates, kneaded from the same entity and seeing life through the eyes of a poet. Theirs was a marriage of minds, a ‘union’ of sensibilities that ebbed and flowed with the tide of subliminal power.
The late actor was born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan and later changed his stage name to Irfan Khan. He made his film debut in 2003 with ‘Haasil.’ With his unrivalled screen presence, Irrfan carved out a niche for himself in both Bollywood and Hollywood in a brief span of time. Since then, the 53-year-old actor has differentiated himself through his acting talent, choice of roles, and unconventional films. He also appeared in several international projects, including ‘The Namesake,’ ‘The Darjeeling Limited,’ ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ ‘Life of Pi,’ ‘New York,’ ‘I Love You,’ ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ ‘Jurassic World,’ and ‘Inferno.’ For his outstanding work, he received a National Film Award, an Asian Film Award, and six Filmfare Awards, as well as the Padma Shri in 2011.
For the lesser-known, versatile actor Irrfan Khan died on April 29, 2020, at the age of 53, in Mumbai’s Kokilaben hospital, where he had been admitted after suffering from a colon infection.
