Quick Info→
Death Date: 29/04/2020
Age: 53 Years
Wife: Sutapa Sikdar
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan check sources The Hindu |
| Profession(s) | Actor, Producer |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters**- 183 cm** in meters**- 1.83 m** in feet inches**- 6’** |
| Eye Colour | Dark Brown |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Career | |
| Debut | Film (Hindi): Salaam Bombay (1988) as a 'Letter Writer'  Film (British): The Warrior (2001) as 'Lafcadia'  Film (Hollywood): A Mighty Heart (2007) as 'Javid Habib'  TV (Actor): Shrikant (1985) as 'Abhaya's husband'  |
| Last Film | Angrezi Medium (2020) as "Champak Bansal"  |
| Awards, Honours | National Film Award 2013: Best Actor for Paan Singh Tomar  Filmfare Awards 2004: Best Actor in a Negative Role for Haasil 2008: Best Supporting Actor for Life in a... Metro 2013: Best Actor (Critics) for Paan Singh Tomar 2018: Best Actor for Hindi Medium Government of India Awards 2011: Honoured with Padma Shri by the Government of India  Other Awards 2004: Screen Awards for Best Performance in a Negative Role for Haasil 2012: CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2013: Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences awarded him as Best Male Character for Paan Singh Tomar Note: Along with these, he has many other awards, honours, and achievements to his name. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 7 January 1967 (Saturday) |
| Birthplace | Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Date of Death | 29 April 2020 (Wednesday) |
| Place of Death | Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai |
| Death Cause | Colon Infection check sources Hindustan Times Note: In 2018, he announced that he’d been diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour. |
| Age (at the time of death) | 53 Years |
| Birthplace | Jaipur, Rajasthan, India |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Signature |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Khajuriya Village, Tonk District, Rajasthan, India |
| College/University | National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi |
| Educational Qualification | Diploma in Dramatic Arts from NSD check sources irrfan.com |
| Religion | Islam |
| Caste/Ethnicity | Pathan |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian check sources Deccan Chronicle |
| Address | 5th floor of an apartment in Oshiwara, Mumbai  |
| Hobbies | Reading, Playing Cricket |
| Controversy | Controversial remark on the ‘qurbani’ ritual In July 2016, he attracted controversy over his remarks on the ‘qurbani’ ritual on Eid-al-Adha. He remarked while he was promoting his film Madaari in Jaipur. He said, "Jitne rituals hain, jitney festivals hain, hum unka asal matlab bhool gaye hain. Hamne unko ek tamasha bana diya he. (We have forgotten the real meaning behind rituals and festivals and have turned them into a spectacle). Qurbani ek bahut ahem festival hai… it means to sacrifice. A goat was then a prime source of food, and there were many who went hungry. So you had to, in a way, sacrifice something dear to you and distribute it to people." His comments were criticized by the Muslim clerics. Irrfan later replied on Twitter (now X). He wrote, "Pls Bhaiyon, who r upset with my statement, either u r not ready to introspect or u r in a hurry to reach to a conclusion." |
| Girls, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affairs/Girlfriends | Sutapa Sikdar (dialogue writer) |
| Marriage Date | 23 February 1995 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Sutapa Sikdar (dialogue writer, m. 1995-till his death)  |
| Children | Sons- Ayaan Khan , Babil Khan Daughter- None |
| Parents | Father- Sahabzada Yaseen Ali Khan (entreprenuer) Mother- Sayeeda Begum  |
| Siblings | Brothers- Salman Khan, Imran Khan Sister- Rukhsana Begum  |
| Favourites | |
| Actor(s) | Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert De Niro , Al Pacino, Marlon Brando |
| Film | The Men (1950) |
| Restaurant | Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat in France |
| Colour | Black |
| Sport | Cricket |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collection | SUV  |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary (approx.) | Rs. 12-14 Crore/film |
| Net Worth (approx.) | Rs. 344 Crores ($50 million) (as of 2018) |
Irrfan belonged to a family with royal connections from his mother’s side, and his father was a wealthy Zamindar who wanted him to join their family business of tires.
In his school, he was a very shy person, and his teachers would often scold him because his voice was never audible in class.
He faced a lot of struggles in his teenage, and he even worked as a repairer of air conditioners and also as a tutor to earn his living.
He aspired to become a cricketer. He was selected for a tournament named CK Nayudu tournament, which is for players under 23 years old, but due to lack of funds, he missed the opportunity.
Irrfan Khan Playing Cricket
While pursuing an MA in Jaipur, he was offered a scholarship to attend NSD (National School of Drama), and he entered the world of drama.
In his final year at NSD, Mira Nair selected him for a role in Salaam Bombay. However, his role was cut down at the time of its release.
Irrfan Khan in Salaam Bombay
In the initial days of his stay in Mumbai, he shared a flat with Raghubir Yadav .
He had a remarkable stint on the small screen, and he appeared in many popular television shows, such as Bharat Ek Khoj (1988), Chanakya (1991), Banegi Apni Baat (1993), AnooGoonj (1993), Sara Jahan Hamara (1994), Chandrakanta (1994), Star Bestsellers (1995), and Sparsh (1998). 
He appeared in some unnoticed films during the 90s, but things changed when he got the opportunity to play a role in the British-Indian film ‘The Warrior.’
He rose to fame with his negative role in Tigmanshu Dhulia ‘s film Haasil in 2003.
In 2005, he got his first lead role in the film “Rog” after many of his films got shelved. 
He met his future wife Sutapa Sikdar at NSD where they used to study in the same class. She belongs to a Hindu Brahmin family.
Irrfan changed the name of his spelling from “Irfan” to “Irrfan” in 2012, but there was no numerology behind this, he just liked the sound of extra “r” in his name.
He had a dream of gifting her mother a suitcase full of money one day.
His acting in the film “Paan Singh Tomar” (based on the life of Paan Singh Tomar ) was critically acclaimed both by the audience and critics, and he also got many accolades for the film, including the National Film Award for Best Actor.
His acting in the film “Lunch Box” was also critically acclaimed, and it became the only Indian movie to get a TFCA Award (Toronto Film Critics Association).
For his commitment to the films Lunch Box and D-Day, he turned down a big role in the film Interstellar as he had to leave India and stay in the USA for four months.
He once said that in 1993, he didn’t have enough money to watch Jurassic Park, but in 2015, he appeared in the American film Jurassic World.
Apart from acting, he also voiced two video games titled “Lego Jurassic World” and “Lego Dimensions.”
In September 2015, the Rajasthan government named him the brand ambassador for the “Resurgent Rajasthan” campaign.
Irrfan Khan as the face of the Resurgent Rajasthan campaign
Just because his name resembled a terror suspect, he was detained twice at Los Angeles Airport.
He was very selective when it came to scripts, and he used to do good research on his role. His writer-wife once said that she had to rewrite the script of some of the episodes of “Banegi Apni Baat” a dozen times because Irrfan wasn’t satisfied with it.
Despite being born in a Pathan family, he hated Non-Vegetarian food, and his father often used to say that he was a Brahmin born in Pathans. In an interview, Irrfan said,
My family would tell me, Brahmin paida hua Pathano ke ghar mein.” check sources Deccan Chronicle
Irrfan had deep compassion for animals. In an interview, he recalled his experience of accompanying his father to hunting. He said,
Dad always used to take us along when he went hunting. For us, it was adventurous; but when I went with my sister or my little brother, it was a bit traumatic because even though we enjoyed the mystery of the jungle and being in a new environment, when a wild animal was ultimately killed, we used to imagine what would happen to the animal’s family or its mother. We used to create an emotional connect with the animal. I learnt how to use the rifle, but I never hunted with it. I also strangely, did not eat non-vegetarian food; maybe I didn’t enjoy the taste.” check sources Deccan Chronicle
Irrfan Khan Playing With a Dog
He was the first Bollywood actor to have acted in two films that won the Academy Awards – Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and Life of Pi (2012). However, the first choice for his role in Slumdog Millionaire was Gulshan Grover .
Irrfan Khan in Slumdog Millionaire
For the film “Piku,” he rejected Ridley Scott’s film The Martian.
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Reportedly, Irrfan just took two hours to read the script of Blackmail and agreed to do it. It was also reported later that he was diagnosed with a tumour at the time of the shoot of this film.
Irrfan Khan In Blackmail
On 16 March 2018, he revealed that he was suffering from a rare disease called “NeuroEndocrine Tumour,” a situation in which the neuroendocrine cells grow into tumours. 
He once shared a one-rupee Indian currency note; bearing his date of birth on it.
Irrfan Khan and the Ten Ruppe Note with his Date of Birth on it
Irrfan Khan was often spotted smoking cigarettes and consuming alcoholic beverages on various occasions. In an interview, he talked about his drinking habit and said,
Drinking’s not a gentleman’s game for me – you know two pegs every evening. If I start drinking, I drink till I drop dead. So generally, I don’t drink, because the next day I don’t like my body, I hate myself. When I was younger, I could keep drinking all night and it wouldn’t hit me that hard.” check sources GQ
His death on 29 April 2020 was mourned across the nation, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many Bollywood celebs.
Tigmanshu Dhulia leading the final rites of Irrfan Khan
Irrfan Khan had very expressive eyes, and a film critic once praised his eyes and said,
Irfaan’s eyes speak louder than his words.”
In December 2024, The Independent listed him in its 60 best actors of the 21st century list. Irrfan was the only Indian actor who made it to the list.
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He changed the spelling of his name from Irfan to Irrfan in 2012 because he liked the sound of the extra 'r'; there was no numerology involved.
Yes—he acted in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Life of Pi (2012), making him the first Bollywood actor to appear in two Oscar-winning films.
He reportedly shared a one-rupee note bearing his date of birth on it.
He was detained twice at Los Angeles Airport because his name resembled a terror suspect.
He turned down a big role in Interstellar to stay in the USA for four months because of his commitments to Lunch Box and D-Day.
