Fans mourn Irrfan Khan's death as 'personal loss'

With his simple personality, a charming smile and a wide range of work, Irrfan Khan broke the language barrier when it came to connecting with his fans, many of whom term his untimely demise as a "personal loss".

Be it a metropolitan like Delhi, or a small town like Jorhat in Assam or Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, the actor's fans are in every nook and corner of the country and they are all mourning today.

Irrfan lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was 54.

The news of his sudden demise came as a shock to his fans, with many people posting their heartfelt tributes on social media, while several others changed their WhatsApp statuses and display pictures to condole the loss.

 

"I was watching business news when the news about his death flashed. I was shocked and actually cried, Padmaja Tamuli, a teacher hailing from Jorhat, Assam, said.

Chetan Patil, a Pune-based software engineer, said, "You could watch many of his movies repeatedly like Haasil', Ye Saali Zindagi', Qarib Qarib Singlle'. He came across as an effortless, natural actor. And the simplicity in his smile, probably this is the reason his death feels like a personal loss."

Richa Arora Kohli, a communication profession based in Bengaluru, said she was really "shocked" and found it hard to believe that the actor was no more.

"I vividly remember his last audio from the teaser for his last released film 'Angrezi Medium'. His last words were Wait for me', it's going to be in my heart forever. His versatility and talent made us all respect him more, Richa said.

She was among the many who put up a WhatsApp status to pay homage to the actor.

For some people, Irrfan and his movies had a profound effect on their personal lives and his death has left a deep void.

"The reason I feel such pain is because he was so true to his art that it touched us all. He once said he doesn't believe in legacies, well he left his own now. After Farooq Sheikh sahab's death, this is a loss which is too personal for me, Isha Singh, a Delhi-based doctor, said.

In Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad, where Irrfan's critically acclaimed film Haasil was set, people linked the Allahabad University too felt attached with the actor and are mourning his death.

"I have been attached with the Allahabad University since 2009, first as a student and now as a teacher. Irrfan Khan had played a role in Haasil' which is based on the student election of our university. So here we are emotionally attached with him," Dinesh Yadav, a teacher in the Economics Department of the university, said.

Pragya Bhatnagar, an International Trade Research Associate based in Vietnam, said he wished he had an opportunity to meet the actor once.

I have put this picture on my WhatsApp status because I wished I had a moment to meet him. I wish I had the opportunity to shake his hand and say thank you and take that memory for lifetime," Bhatnagar said.