Arthouse cinema inspired actor

Irrfan Khan, an Indian actor who brought versatility and style to recent hit films and had roles in Hollywood movies such as Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi and The Namesake, died on Wednesday, aged 54.

His death came after a prolonged battle with neuroendocrine cancer, which was diagnosed in 2018. He had been in hospital for a week with a colon infection. He is survived by his wife and two sons.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a tweet. “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.”

Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan on Jan. 7, 1967, in 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. 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 on a scholarship.

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 Khan favoured.

He 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, he was offered 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 did.

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. Wes Anderson wrote a small role for him in The Darjeeling Limited — just so he could work with him.

In The Namesake, he won praise for his sensitive portrayal of a man who moves to the U.S. and grapples with the crises of identity that first-generation immigrants can face.

Khan acted 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.

He was being treated in London, but returned to shoot Angrezi Medium (English Medium), which released in Indian cinemas last month.

Khan’s 95-year-old mother died just four days earlier but he was unable to attend her funeral due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

Irrfan Khan