The National School of Drama, the alma mater of actor Irrfan Khan, paid heartfelt condolences to one of its meritorious students.
Irrfan lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was 54.
It was at the National School of Drama (NSD) here that director Mira Nair spotted the then 20-year-old actor. The director was looking for actors to cast in her film "Salaam Bombay". Irrfan was offered a small part in the film.
"The news of the demise of noted actor (alumnus NSD) Mr. Irrfan Khan is highly shocking. The NSD family pays a heartfelt tribute. Irrfan Bhai had contributed a lot to theatre. God bless the departed soul," NSD Director-In-Charge Suresh Sharma tweeted.
In a statement, NSD said the theatre school has lost one of its "meritorious" members.
"Not only the National School of Drama has lost one of its meritorious members, Irrfan's demise is a big loss to the Indian art and cinema fraternity," the statement said.
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During his NSD days, the Padma Shri winner performed in various plays, including Carlo Goldoni's The Fan', Maxim Gorky's Lower Depth' and Ladaku Murga'.
"Your acting in all the plays was commendable," the NSD said.
Irrfan pursued specialisation in acting from the prestigious theatre school in 1987.
One of Bollywood's finest actors, Irrfan had worked in popular films such as "Piku", "The Lunchbox", Paan Singh Tomar, The Namesake among others.
Irrfan won best actor National Award for his performance in 2012's biographical drama Paan Singh Tomar.
The actor was honoured with Padma Shri in 2011.