'I suppose, in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye'. - this was one of the famous dialogues of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan in the 2012 released movie 'Life of Pi'. Now, nearly eight years later, this dialogue rings the ears again as the cinema world has been mourning for the sudden and untimely demise of Khan, a phenomenal and versatile actor, who died on Wednesday morning at the age of 53 due to a rare disease. 

He shined in every role and every dimension through his versatility and exemplary performances that has conferred him a special place in the Bollywood industry and among the fans. Besides being an actor in the Hindi industry, he successfully rosed up and became one of the shining and rewarding Indian faces in the western world - Hollywood, revealing and proving that finding such an artist is rare.

Born on January 7, 1967, in the village of Tonk, Rajasthan, he changed his name at the early stage from Irfan to Irrfan, as he loved the way it has sounded. Determined to become an actor, he kept his desire and in 1984, he applied for a scholarship to the National School of Drama in Delhi. Initially, the desire of big-screen has awarded him only the small screens - to act in television serials. He had gone through disappointments as he was denied with the pay for acting so badly. 

His debut on-screen appearance added the disappointment. He acted as one of the younger characters in Salaam Bombay. However, it didn't turn well. He kept his desire that brought a breakthrough in the British- India movie 'The Warrior'. The movie starred by the unfamiliar actor had won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the Baftas, carpeting the unknown to the movie world. From then on, no turnbacks! For the next two decades, he acted at least four to five movies each year through which he strongly cemented the stardom. 

The year 2008 had given him another breakthrough and entry into Hollywood. Khan teamed up with Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire - which later won the Oscars. Khan once said that he preferred acting in the movies which have a longer relationship. Fortunately, he lived to what he said. He added many more recognitions and gathered attention through his remarkable acting. The 2012 release Life of Pi is one such movie that had shown how the actor transformed himself through his desire.

He then went on to play notable roles as Simon Masrani in 'Jurassic World' and as Rajit Ratha in 'The Amazing Spiderman' and he had given some of the memorable and everlasting performances in Piku, Maqbool, The Lunch Box, and Saat Khoon Maaf. In 2018, at the time of the peak, he revealed that he was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor, which is the rare disease that affects various parts of the body. 

He acted amid the treatments and on Tuesday, he was admitted to the ICU at Kokilaben hospital in Mumbai as his health was deteriorating. Despite the treatment, he breathed his last on Wednesday morning after fighting a long battle against cancer and the sudden demise had shocked the entire cinema industry and the celebrities are queued up and pouring condolences through Social media handles. Irrfan's body was buried at the Versova kabrastan in Mumbai at 3 pm on Wednesday in the presence of his family, friends, and close relatives.

Khan has acted at least 74 movies and bestowed with the Padma Shri award, which is one of the highest civilian honors in India, in 2011 and he has bagged dozens of notable awards including National Film Awards and Filmfare awards. Angrezi Medium was his final movie which hit the big screens weeks before India was imposed with the nationwide lockdown.

He left behind his wife and two sons and a great and inspirational story. One of the finest actors of the era had gone too soon leaving his footprints both in Bollywood and Hollywood. At the beginning of his career, Irrfan Khan said "No-one could have imagined I would be an actor, I was so shy. So thin. But the desire was so intense." It was that desire which made him one of the ever-living and versatile artists in the history of cinema. 

Also read: Reputed Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan has passed away at the age of 53!