The sudden demise of actor Irrfan Khan not only jolted the Indian film industry, but sent shock waves internationally as well. Popular celebrities Riz Ahmed and Ava DuVernay lead the charge in condoling his death, remembering him for his exceptional talent.
"Venom" star Riz Ahmed took to Twitter to mourn his demise, saying that Irrfan was a "guiding light for so many of us".
"Rest in peace one of the greatest actors of our time, Irrfan Khan. I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others. His work was consistently transcendent, he was a guiding light for so many of us," he tweeted.
He continued: "If you've not seen his work, watch 'The Lunchbox' or 'The Warrior'. A true artist who spanned Bollywood and Hollywood and was acclaimed in both. His words in a letter to a newspaper about his illness are a reminder of his beautiful mind and of life's fragility. His work will live on."
"When They See Us" creator Ava DuVernay also posted an emotional message along with a picture of the actor.
"A grateful fan of #IrrfanKhan here. Gone too soon. When he is on screen, you can't take your eyes off of him. He lives on in his films," she posted.
To DuVernay's post, "Rise Of The Guard" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse" director Peter Ramsey commented: "I can't believe it. A genius. So great in THE LUNCHBOX. I'm devastated."
With projects like "Paan Singh Tomar", "Piku", "Talvar", "The Lunchbox", "Maqbool", and "7 Khoon Maaf", Irrfan carved a name for himself in Hindi cinema. He has gradually established himself in the West too. He featured in foreign films like "The Namesake", "Life of Pi", "A Mighty Heart", "Slumdog Millionaire',"The Amazing Spider-Man", "Inferno" and "Jurassic World".
Irrfan featured alongside Hollywood actors such as Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in "Jurassic World". The film's director, Colin Trevorrow, shared a heartfelt message along with a happy image of Irrfan.
"Deeply sad to have lost #IrrfanKhan. A thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain. In our last correspondence, he asked me to remember "the wonderful aspects of our existence" in the darkest of days. Here he is, laughing," he tweeted.
"The Warrior" maker Asif Kapadia simply wrote "Love you Irrfan bhai".
The British Film Institute also mourned his death through a post on its Twitter account."We're deeply saddened to hear that Bollywood legend Irrfan Khan has passed away," read the post.
The actor, diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2018, passed away in Mumbai on Wednesday, leaving the whole world in deep shock.
( With inputs from IANS )