The enduring legacy of an icon

UNTIMELY deaths are not uncommon but rarely does an unexpected demise end up sounding the death knell for millions of dreams.

- Gautam Chintamani

The reason why Irrfan Khan’s death is a bigger blow than many would have imagined has to do with the way the thespian had perched himself on the platform of world cinema. Few can stake the same claim as Irrfan, who at the time of his death was one of the best-known Indians in the world of cinema.

Although Indians often seek validation from the west, especially Hollywood, when it comes to popular films, they brush it off as easily too. In Irrfan’s case, his transcendence into a globally acknowledged actor from India brought great joy to scores of cinephiles and unlike the other ‘crossover stars’, his popularity or charisma did not depend on being the exotic ingredient.

Before their time

The acute sense of loss and the feeling of a vacuum that might never be filled ever again that Irrfan’s death brought over movies is similar to what most quarters felt when Heath Ledger passed away. A little over a decade ago, Ledger was one of the brightest talents on the horizon and the buzz about his Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2008) was all set to elevate him to an entirely different league when the news of his death due to due to an accidental overdose of prescription medications put an end to a glorious acting career.