Irrfan Khan death: Priyanka Chopra leads tributes to Bollywood legend

Khan was admitted to hospital on Tuesday after suffering a kidney infection

Tributes have been pouring in for Indian actor Irrfan Khan, who has died at the age of 53 of a kidney infection.

News of the death of the actor, who had appeared in films such as Life of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire and Jurassic Park, was shared on Twitter by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar.

“My dear friend Irfaan,” Sircar wrote. “You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute.”

Priyanka Chopra, who worked with Khan on 2017’s 7 Khoon Maaf, tweeted: “The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic.

“Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family.”

Actor Sonam K Ahuja wrote: “Rest in peace @irrfank you have no idea what your kindness meant to me at a time I was at my least confident. My condolences to your family and loved ones.”

Meanwhile, Amitabh Bachchan wrote: “Just getting news of the passing of Irfaan Khan.. this is a most disturbing and sad news.. An incredible talent.. a gracious colleague.. a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema.. left us too soon.. creating a huge vacuum.. Prayers and duas.”

Recalling his last messages to Khan, Jurassic World director Colin Trevvorow tweeted: “Deeply sad to have lost #IrrfanKhan. A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain. In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember “the wonderful aspects of our existence” in the darkest of days.”

Speaking about the Life of Pi actor, director Karan Johar added: “Thank you for those indelible movie memories… thank you for raising the bar as an artist… thank you for enriching our Cinema… we will miss you terribly Irrfan but will always always be immensely grateful for your presence in our lives… our cinema… we salute you.”

Filmmaker and activist Ashoke Pandit, who worked with Khan on multiple TV shows, filmed a video about his “dear friend”, explaining: “The demise of a great human being and a great actor, Irrfan Khan, is a great loss to the industry. He was always a fighter, one of the most positive and vibrant human beings on set. We have no words to express our loss.”

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi also paid tribute following Khan’s death, writing: ”He will be remembered for his versatile performances across different mediums. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers. May his soul rest in peace.”

Khan had been admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on Tuesday (28 April) after suffering a kidney infection. He previously announced in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour.