Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan has died at the age of 53, it has been confirmed.
The actor died in a hospital in Mumbai “surrounded by his love, his family for whom he most cared about”, his PR agency told media outlets in India.
They added: “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.
“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’.”
Khan had been hospitalised while fighting a colon infection.
The sad news came just hours after his representative told fans he was still fighting the illness following premature reports of his death.
Khan was best-known for his extensive work in Hindi films and he also landed roles in a series of Hollywood movies during his decades-spanning career.
Having won a scholarship to study drama in the mid 1980s, he appeared in a number of Indian TV series.
He was then offered theatre roles and made his Bollywood film debut in the late 1980s, landing his first lead film role in the 2005 movie Rog.
In 2008, he landed a part in Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire.
Khan previously suffered a period of ill-health in 2018 when he was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour.
Referencing this in their statement on his death, his family said: “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.”
Khan is survived by his wife Sutapa and their two sons.
