Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, 53, loses fight against cancer

Versatile Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday, losing his battle with a rare form of cancer, a statement from his representative said. He was 53.

The Maqbool actor has been under treatment for neuroendocrine tumour since 2018. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital with a colon infection.

He is survived by his wife Sutapa and two sons.

The Piku actor lost his 95-year-old mother Saeeda Begum in Jaipur just three days ago and could not attend the funeral because of the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Rumours about his failing health have been doing rounds since Tuesday. However, his spokesperson had rubbished them all.

The actor stayed away from the public eye as he underwent treatment in the UK.

After his return in 2019, he shot for Angrezi Medium, the sequel to his 2017 hit Hindi Medium.

However, his health condition prevented him from promoting the movie, which hit the theatres in March just before the lockdown that began on March 25.

“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,” the statement read.