Irrfan Khan's demise: Not just East, not just West; South Africans also mourn star's death

South African movie-enthusiasts are mourning the passing away of Indian actor Irrfan, whose versatility earned him fans across the globe. He died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday after a two-year battle with cancer. Among those who expressed condolences was internationally-renowned South African Indian-origin filmmaker Anant Singh, who remembered his relationship with the actor.

"Irrfan was a very special human being and I am very sad to have heard of his passing today," Singh said.

"His acting talents caught my eye when he had a small (debut) role in Salaam Bombay' and then in 'Maqbool', which I distributed worldwide.

"We immediately became friends, and I particularly enjoyed our meetings at various film festivals around the world," he said.

"Irrfan's passing leaves a void of a special acting talent in the global film industry. He will be missed," Singh said.

Fans were also shocked at hearing his death. "Irrfan showed the world that you do not need to have Adonis features to be a super-talented actor. His played diverse roles, in which some of the most memorable scenes are the ones in which he didn't utter a word but use only his eyes and facial expressions.

They will be a lasting legacy," said Lucy Sigaban, a former station manager of East Wave FM. "He was the most underrated and by far an amazingly versatile actor. His roles in both 'New York' and 'Billu' remain my ultimate favourites," said promoter of Bollywood shows Farzana Mayet.

"His passing away and that of his mother just five days earlier is so sad. But they have both had blessed deaths in the holy month of Ramadan," said Fazila Loonat.

Irrfan was not able to attend his mother's funeral in Jaipur because he was in Mumbai during the current lockdown in India. Sheena Maharaj said she was planning to go to the cinema to watch Irrfan's latest film 'Angrezi Medium' when all shows were cancelled because of a nationwide lockdown in South Africa due to the COVID-19 pandemic.