Actor Padma Shri Irrfan Khan passed away at a Mumbai hospital on April 29, 2020 after battling with colon infection. The 53-year-old had recently returned to acting after his 2 years of battle against neuroendocrine tumour since 2018.

Irrfan, who made his Bollywood debut with Mira Nair's Salaam Bombay in 1988, has also been part of many Hollywood projects, from 'Jurassic World' to 'Slumdog Millionaire'. Best known for his performances in 'Piku' and 'Paan Singh Tomar', the actor's last film was 'Angrezi Medium', which hit the screens before the lockdown. Be it his unconventional looks and his incomparable acting, Irrfan Khan had always carved a niche for himself in the cinema world.

Here are some lesser-seen facts of the legend

• Born to a royal family in Jaipur on 7th January 1967, acting was never his passion. Irrfan always wanted to be a Cricketer. As his parents disapproved of his passion, he changed his mind to acting.
• While he was pursuing his master's degree, he got a scholarship to attend NSD (National School of Drama). He was a final year student at NSD (1988) when Mira Nair chose him for a role in Salaam Bombay.
• He got married to writer and fellow NSD student Sutapa Sikdar on February 23rd, 1995. He has two sons, Babil and Ayan.
• After pursuing a diploma in Dramatic arts, he arrived in Mumbai, where he started working as an air conditioner repairman. If the rumors are to be believed, one of the first houses he visited for repairing services was that of the legend Rajesh Khanna.
• Irrfan is one of the tallest actors in Bollywood. He is about 6 ft 1 inch tall. Interestingly, in his debut movie 'Salaam Bombay', the actor's portions were reduced due to his height issue.
• Irrfan Khan's real name is Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan. In the year 2002, he added an additional ‘r’ in his name Irrfan is not because of numerology but just because he liked the sound of it.
• At one point in time, Irrfan was so bored that he thought of quitting the cinema. It was the historical movie 'The Warrior' in which he played the lead role, that changed his mind. The movie fetched him instant fame and he became a well-known face in the global film world.
• His movie 'LunchBox' is the only Indian movie to have ever won a TFCA (Toronto Film Critics Association Award),
• Irrfan was offered an important role in Hollywood's Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' movie. But the actor had to turn down the offer as he had already committed two of his projects, 'Lunch Box' and 'D Day'.
• The Rajasthan government named him the brand ambassador of “Resurgent Rajasthan” campaign in September 2015

Awards received

• National Film Award for the best actor in the 60th National Film Awards 2012
• Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie 'Paan Singh Tomar'.
• In 2014 he won the Asian Film Award for Best Actor.
• He has won three International Indian Film Academy Awards, three Filmfare Awards Independent Spirit Award nomination.
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the movie Hindi Medium in 2017.
• Irrfan Khan received the Padma Shri, fourth highest civilian honor in India, for his contribution to the field of arts in 2011.