Irrfan Khan's Demise: WB CM Mamata Banerjee fondly remembers actor, upholds his legacy

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed her grief on the demise of actor Irrfan Khan. Taking to Twitter, she said that he was a critically acclaimed actor and she fondly remembers him calling on her while he was in Kolkata. 

The West Bengal CM also extended her condolences to the family, colleagues, fans & admirers of Irrfan Khan. She said that the actor has left behind a large body of work that is his legacy. 

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Irrfan Khan passed away at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai. He was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday. Irrfan had announced in 2018 that he was suffering from neuroendocrine tumour, a type of cancer. He had undergone treatment in the UK and had returned to India last year. Irrfan’s mother Saeeda Begum passed away in Jaipur a few days ago, but he was not able to attend the funeral.

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Irrfan Khan's team announced his demise:

“I trust, I have surrendered”; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heart felt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. And a man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and  his memorable actions on screen. It’s saddening that this day, we have to bring forward the news of him passing away. Irrfan was a strong soul, someone who fought till the very end and always inspired everyone who came close to him. After having been struck by lightning in 2018 with the news of a rare cancer, he took life soon after as it came and he fought the many battles that came with it. Surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about, he left for heaven abode, leaving behind truly a legacy of his own. We all pray and hope that he is at peace. And to resonate and part with his words he had said, “As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it.”

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Irrfan Khan's last movie was ‘Angrezi Medium’, which hit the screens days before the Covid lockdown was announced and was later released on an OTT platform. His most famous films include the Academy Award-nominated Salaam Bombay!, Maqbool (2004), Paan Singh Tomar (2011), The Lunchbox (2013), Haider (2014), Gunday (2014), Piku (2015) and Talvar (2015) and Hindi Medium (2017).