The late Bollywood star Irrfan Khan was one of the most talented actors to have graced the screen in our lifetimes. Now we have official acknowledgement of his prodigious talent.
The Independent has named the actor, who passed away of cancer in 2020, as one of the top 60 actors of the 21st century, placing him in the esteemed company of global cinematic legends.
Surprisingly, Bollywood giants like Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan or Amitabh Bachchan didn’t make the cut but Irrfan Khan earned the 41st spot.
Khan’s rise to stardom wasn’t a smooth journey. For over a decade, he struggled before landing his breakthrough role in The Warrior (2001), directed by Asif Kapadia. The Independent highlighted his ‘stoic fortitude’ in playing a warrior from Rajasthan, showing how he brought both depth and emotion to the character.
He continued to captivate audiences with his remarkable performances in films like Haasil, Maaqbol, The Namsesake, and Life of Pi. His career spanned across several memorable roles in Jurassic World, Life In a Metro, Slumdog Millionaire, The Luchbox, Piku, Hindi Medium Paan Singh Tomar and Billu Barber.
His unique ability to express emotion through his deep, hooded eyes became one of his most defining traits, earning him worldwide recognition.
The top 10 list of the best actors also included celebrated names like Philip Seymour Hoffman, who ranked one, Emma Stone at two, and Daniel Day-Lewis at theee. Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman, and Cate Blanchett were also featured in the top 10.
Despite his passing in 2020 on 29 April, Irrfan Khan’s legacy as one of the finest actors of this century remains intact, reminding us of his immense contribution to the world of cinema.
Earlier, late actor Irrfan Khan’s birthday, his son Babil Khan revealed how he dealt with his father’s death.
During the promotion of his debut project Qala, Babil shared the difficult phase of his life i.e. his father’s death. He added: “When it first happened, the first day, I didn’t believe it. One week had passed and it hit then. And then I just went into a really bad spiral. I just locked myself in my room for one and a half months.”
Back then he used to shoot so much that he’d be gone for a long shooting schedule. When it just happened, I had somehow convinced myself that he’ll come back after the shooting schedule. And then I slowly started realizing that this is an indefinite shooting schedule. He’s not coming back. I just lost my best friend. It was devastating on a level that I can’t really put into words.”
Khan says that now he feels positive whenever he remembers his late father.
On the work front, Babil Khan just made his acting debut with the Netflix film Qala. He further has a web series coming his way by the name The Railway Men. The series features prominent actors like Kay Kay Menon, R Madhavan, and Divyenndu Sharma. Babil will also be collaborating with filmmaker Shoojit Sircar for a project, reports IndiaToday.