Filmmaker Homi Adajania is eternally grateful to have gotten a chance to work with Irrfan Khan in his last days and he says that the short time he spent with the actor on "Angrezi Medium" will remain close to his heart.
Irrfan,one of India's finest and most versatile actors, passed away from a rare form of cancer in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was 54.
Homi directed the actor in "Angrezi Medium", a sequel to Irrfan's 2017 blockbuster "Hindi Medium", when he returned to the country last year after undergoing treatment in the UK.
The film, which also Radhika Madan, Deepak Dobriyal and Kareena Kapoor Khan, released in March. Irrfan, however, took a step back from the film's promotion owing to his health condition.
The director took to Instagram and uploaded a candid picture from the film's set, where the 54-year-old actor is leaning on his shoulder.
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"We laughed about you dying... in fact we often abused your 'uninvited guests'... but I didn't think I'd feel so f***ing broken when I heard what I was expecting to hear for a while now. I am eternally grateful for walking a few steps of your journey with you. I am eternally grateful that I could call myself your friend," Homi wrote.
The director also recalled how Irrfan once confided in him how he doesn't want to chase stardom.
"You once told me how you had an inexplicable love for your craft, but didn't want the stardom anymore. Well, you never needed to be a star my friend, because you shone brighter than anything in the universe. RIP #irrfan" Homi added.
Dinesh Vijan, who produced the film, said he was thankful for "experiencing Irrfan's resilience and spirit."
"We're thankful for being allowed to witness his love and passion for everything around him. So yes, all I can say is thank you to him for letting us be a part of his journey. There is no one like Irrfan and I'm going to miss him very much. Rest in peace my friend.
"I know that he could spread his wings and soar only because he had his wife Sutupa as his rock. My heartfelt condolences to her and his sons. We are always there for them and I know that they know this," Dinesh said in a statement.
Radhika, who played Irrfan's on-screen daughter in the film, said he was one of the "strongest" person she ever knew.
"I don't know what to say... My heart aches when I write this. He was one the strongest people i knew, a fighter. And so are Sutapa ma'am ,Babil and Ayaan.I'm just grateful that our paths crossed in this lifetime. He is and will always be an inspiration to many. A legend. The man who changed the wave of the Indian film industry. May his soul rest in peace," the actor said.
Kareena also remembered Irrfan and shared a throwback photo from the movie on her official Instagram handle.
"It was an absolute honour sir. Rest in peace," she wrote in the caption.
"Angrezi Medium" was released countrywide on March 13, just before the lockdown that began on March 25. The film later released on streamer Disney Plus Hotstar.
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