Five years without Irrfan Khan: Shoojit Sircar, Babil Khan pay tribute

Irrfan Khan with Shoojit Sircar and Babil Khan

Irrfan Khan, one of the most loved actors of Indian cinema and beyond, passed away five years ago on April 29, 2020. On Instagram, his Piku director Shoojit Sircar penned a touching note remembering the actor.

Irrfan had played the character of Rana, the owner of a taxi fleet in Kolkata, in Sircar’s 2015 comedy-drama, which starred Deepika Padukone and Amitabh Bachchan.

Sharing pictures from their time together on Piku, Sircar wrote, “Dear Irfaan, Friend, wherever you are, I know you’re doing well and have probably made many new friends there. I’m sure people have fallen in love with your charm, as we all have. Here, I’m doing fine. But there’s one thing you might not be aware of Irfaan – just how much you’re loved and missed here. You’d be surprised.”

You can read the full note here –

Irrfan was supposed to play the protagonist of Sircar’s historical drama, Sardar Udham. However, owing to his ailing health, he had to pass on the project. The role eventually went to Vicky Kaushal.

Irrfan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer and sought treatment in the UK. In died in 2020 from a colon infection brought on by the disease. He is survived by his two sons, Ayan and Babil, and wife Sutapa Sikdar.

Remembering his father, Babil Khan, now an actor, wrote on social media, “With you, without you.

Life goes on,

With me, without me.

Soon I’ll be there.

With you, not without you.

And we will run together, and fly,

Drink from waterfalls, pink not blue.

I will hug you so tight, and I will cry,

Then we’ll laugh, just like we used to.

I miss you.”

In a recent interview with The Hindu, Babil Khan spoke about his father’s legacy, describing it not as a shadow but a ‘beautiful sunshine’.

“It’s a beautiful beam of sunshine on a winter’s day. My father’s legacy is not just about acting. I am not trying to fill his shoes, but instead trying to be the best version of myself. I want to be as kind as he was, and create a body of work that moves people, makes them feel alive for a moment. That’s it,” Babil said.