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His death, after a prolonged battle with
cancer, was confirmed by a spokesman who said Khan was
surrounded by family at the time. He is survived by his wife and
two children.
"He fought the many battles that came with it," the spokesman
said in a statement, referring to the diagnosis of Khan's rare
cancer in 2018.
Khan was among the first Indian actors to make a consistent mark
in Western cinema, following in the footsteps of crossover
pioneers such as Saeed Jaffrey, Roshan Seth and Om Puri.
"An incredible talent," said Bollywood superstar Amitabh
Bachchan, among the tributes on Twitter that followed Khan's
death. "A gracious colleague. A prolific contributor to the
world of cinema .. left us too soon creating a huge vacuum."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his condolences.
"Irrfan Khan’s demise is a loss to the world of cinema and
theatre. He will be remembered for his versatile performances
across different mediums," Modi said in a tweet.
BOLLYWOOD SLOW TO EMBRACE HIM
Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan in the western desert state of
Rajasthan, in a family with no ties to the cinema, the actor
recalled in interviews that as children, he and his siblings
were not allowed to watch movies.
The only exception was when a visiting uncle took them to the
theatre. Inspired by India's arthouse cinema of the 1980s Khan
decided to make a career in the field and moved to New Delhi to
study theatre.
He then moved to Mumbai in search of acting jobs, but the
Bollywood films of the 1990s did not present opportunities for
the understated acting that Khan favoured.
Khan worked in serials for Indian television for close to a
decade and sought bit parts in films.
In 2001, as he was close to giving up, British filmmaker Asif
Kapadia offered him the lead role in "The Warrior". The film won
a BAFTA for Best British Film and was Britain’s entry to the
Oscars. It also opened the doors to Hollywood, which appreciated
Khan long before Bollywood claimed him.
He went on to act in indie hits such as Mira Nair’s "The
Namesake" based on Jhumpa Lahiri’s book as well as more popular
fare, including "Jurassic World".
In "The Namesake", he won praise for his sensitive portrayal of
a man who moves to the United States and grapples with the
crises of identity that first-generation immigrants can face.
Khan acted in filmmaker Ritesh Batra’s debut, "The Lunchbox". An
intimate story about a cantankerous man and the woman who
mistakenly sends him her husband’s lunch box one day, the film
won worldwide acclaim, including in India.
In March 2018, Khan announced that he had been diagnosed with a
neuroendrocrine tumour. He subsequently returned from London,
where he was being treated, and shot a film "Angrezi Medium"
(English Medium), which released in Indian cinemas last month.
Khan was absent during promotions and had not been seen in
public since news of his diagnosis.
(Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Editing by Euan Rocha, Himani
Sarkar and Gareth Jones)
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