Celebs from Odisha mourn Irrfan’s death
Sandip.Bal@timesgroup.com
National Award-winning actor Irrfan, whose films were as brilliant as his personality, passed away in Mumbai after battling a medical complication. The actor was suffering from colon infection. He was 53 and is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons — Babil and Ayan. As the entire country mourns his death, his colleagues from Odisha share their experiences of working with him and knowing him as a human being that he was. Read on…
Irrfan Khan pic from his FB page
‘He was undoubtedly the best actor in the country’
Just after my graduation from NSD, we had a chance to work with him in his first international project. It was a great learning experience for us. Thereafter, I have met him several times but never got a chance to work with him. He was undoubtedly the best actor in the country.
— Manoj Mishra, actor
‘He had a great sense of humor and fighting spirit’
I have not worked with him, but knew him through a common friend. We used to talk about cinema. Apart from being a great artiste, he was a nice human being — so full of life. He had a great sense of humour and fighting spirit. Despite being diagnosed with one of the rarest diseases two years ago, he shot for Angrezi Medium. His sudden demise is like a personal loss for me.
—
Nila Madhab Panda, filmmaker
‘Irrfan was India’s face to the world’
I was shocked to learn about his death. He was too young to die. He was a torchbearer of Indian cinema outside India. He was India’s face to the world. His contributions to Indian cinema would always be remembered. I was one of his biggest fans and used to follow him to hone my acting skills. I had watched several films just because he was acting in them. There will be no other like Irrfan in our lifetime.
—
Archita Sahu, actress
‘I wanted to meet him in person someday’
I wanted to meet him in person for a very long time, but it won’t be possible now. He was unparalleled in his acting skills and left his mark everywhere — be it in Bollywood, Hollywood or television. His health issue was detected when he was at the peak of his career. His earlier video about his diagnosis and treatment had given us hope and his fighting spirit made us believe that he would win over the disease. And he did. But life had different plans. We can pray for him. May god give his family the strength to face this tragedy.
—
Anu Choudhury, actress
‘Not just his dialogues, his eyes spoke volumes’
It was a really shocking news. Since rumours were afloat for the past few days, I thought it was again a rumour. I still can’t believe that he is no more. Not just his dialogues, his eyes spoke volumes. Hats off to his wife, who had been taking care of him for the past three years and informing the world about his health. She must be a strong woman and I pray to almighty to give the family strength at this moment.
—
Chandan Kar, actor
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