Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Irrfan Khan, of 'Slumdog Millionaire,' 'Life of Pi,' Dies
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
April 29, 2020

Share

NEW DELHI — Irrfan Khan, a veteran character actor in Bollywood movies and one of India’s best-known exports to Hollywood, has died. He was 54.

Khan played the police inspector in “Slumdog Millionaire” and the park executive Masrani in “Jurassic World.” He also appeared in “The Amazing Spider-Man” and the adventure fantasy “Life of Pi.”

Khan died Wednesday after being admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection.

“Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him,” a statement released by the actor’s team said.

Khan made his screen debut in the Academy Award-nominated 1988 drama “Salaam Bombay!,” a tale of Mumbai’s street children. He worked with directors Mira Nair, Wes Anderson and Ang Lee.

Khan in 2018 was diagnosed with a rare neuroendocrine cancer and underwent months of treatment in the United Kingdom.

“I trust, I have surrendered,” he wrote in a heartfelt note after he broke the news of his battle with cancer.

Khan won a number of film awards in India, including a 2012 Indian National Film Award for best actor for his performance in “Paan Singh Tomar,” a compelling tale of a seven-time national champion athlete who quit India’s armed forces to rule the Chambal ravines in central India.

Photo of Bollywood singer Mika Singh
An Indian policeman stops Bollywood singer Mika Singh from proceeding towards a graveyard for the funeral of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, April 29, 2020. Khan was a veteran character actor in Bollywood movies and one of India’s best-known exports to Hollywood. Khan died Wednesday after being admitted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital with a colon infection. He was 54. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Khan received an Independent Spirit Award for supporting actor in 2006 for the Indian-American drama “The Namesake” and a viewers’ choice award at the Cannes festival 2013 for his role in the Indian romantic drama “The Lunchbox.”

Khan also starred in the Hamlet-inspired “Haider,” a Bollywood film set in militarized Himalayan Kashmir.

Tributes came from Bollywood, including from fellow actor Amitabh Bachchan, who said Khan was an “incredible talent” and “a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema.”

Khan “left us too soon,” Bachchan wrote on Twitter.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that “Khan’s demise is a loss to the world of cinema and theatre.”

In an interview with The Associated Press in 2018, Khan said: “I’ve seen life from a completely different angle. You sit down and you see the other side and that’s fascinating. I’m engaged on a journey.”

Khan’s last Bollywood movie, “Angrezi Medium,” a sequel to one of his biggest hits, “Hindi Medium” (2017), was released before India went into a lockdown in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He is survived by his wife, television writer and producer Sutapa Sikdar, and sons, Babil and Ayan.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

DON'T MISS

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

DON'T MISS

House Speaker Johnson Fails to Squash a Proxy Voting Effort From New Moms in Congress

DON'T MISS

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

DON'T MISS

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

DON'T MISS

Can CEMEX Dig a 600-Fit Hole and Not Harm the River? Arambula Says No and Writes a Bill

DON'T MISS

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Destiny Christine Brown

DON'T MISS

Three Missing Fresno Teens Found Safe After Nine Days

DON'T MISS

State Center Trustees Vote for Special Interest Giveaway Over Students: Opinion

DON'T MISS

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

UP NEXT

Gronk-a-Mania Set to Run Wild Over WrestleMania Weekend

UP NEXT

Head of Amazon’s TV and Film Steps Down

UP NEXT

Prosecutor Seeks 18-Month Suspended Sentence for Depardieu if Convicted of Sexual Assault

UP NEXT

Plant-Based Eating in Middle Age Linked to Healthier Senior Years

UP NEXT

Woman Accuses Actor Gérard Depardieu of Sexual Assault on Film Set

UP NEXT

Topgolf Coming to the Central Valley? Chukchansi Gold to Open First Swing Suite

UP NEXT

‘Juntos’ Tour Brings Regional Mexican Superstars to Fresno This Summer

UP NEXT

Jury Finds Greenpeace Liable for Hundreds of Millions in Damages

UP NEXT

Jesse Colin Young, Singer Who Urged Us to ‘Get Together,’ Dies at 83

UP NEXT

Tracy Morgan Says He’s OK, Food Poisoning Caused Incident at Knicks-Heat Game

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

60 minutes ago

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

1 hour ago

Can CEMEX Dig a 600-Fit Hole and Not Harm the River? Arambula Says No and Writes a Bill

1 hour ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Destiny Christine Brown

3 hours ago

Three Missing Fresno Teens Found Safe After Nine Days

3 hours ago

State Center Trustees Vote for Special Interest Giveaway Over Students: Opinion

4 hours ago

Lakers Hold Off Rockets With 6 3-Pointers Apiece From Dorian Finney-Smith, Gabe Vincent

4 hours ago

Athletics Bat Boy Stewart Thalblum Takes Down Drone in Left Field

4 hours ago

Prosecutors Directed to Seek Death Penalty Against Luigi Mangione

4 hours ago

NFL Postpones Tush Push Decision but Passes Other Rule Changes, AP Source Says

4 hours ago

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

The auto industry witnessed a different kind of March madness last month as buyers flocked to dealerships to lock in deals before President ...

15 minutes ago

Vehicles are passed through final inspection at the end of the assembly line at the General Motors facility in Spring Hill, Tenn., Oct. 7, 2024. Sales of cars picked up recently partly as buyers rushed to lock in deals before President Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on cars and auto parts go into effect. (Brett Carlsen/The New York Times)
15 minutes ago

Auto Sales Surged in Anticipation of Trump’s Tariffs

23 minutes ago

Raid Or Rumor? Reports Of Immigrations Sweeps Are Warping Life In CA’s Central Valley

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., takes questions on tariffs while meeting with reporters at a news conference, at the Capitol, in Washington, Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)
37 minutes ago

House Speaker Johnson Fails to Squash a Proxy Voting Effort From New Moms in Congress

Palestinians receive bags of flour and other humanitarian aid distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
60 minutes ago

UN Agency Closes Its Remaining Gaza Bakeries as Food Supplies Dwindle Under Israeli Blockade

July 27, 2017, shows a Hooters sign at a restaurant in Hialeah, Fla. (AP File)
1 hour ago

Hooters Goes Bust and Files for Bankruptcy Protection

1 hour ago

Can CEMEX Dig a 600-Fit Hole and Not Harm the River? Arambula Says No and Writes a Bill

Destiny Christine Brown is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for April 1, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
3 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Destiny Christine Brown

Three Fresno teenagers reported missing on March 19, 2025, were found safe on Friday, March 28, 2025, after one called a parent to arrange their pickup. (Fresno PD)
3 hours ago

Three Missing Fresno Teens Found Safe After Nine Days

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend