‘A star joins other stars in the sky’: Paulo Coelho mourns Irrfan Khan with Bhagvad Gita quote; Angelina Jolie recalls actor’s contribution to global cinema

The demise of veteran actor Irrfan Khan has sent shockwaves not just across the country, but internationally as well. Several renowned personalities from around the world have mourned the loss of the legendary icon.

Renowned author Paulo Coehlo, took to Twitter to share an image of the thespian. “A star joins other stars in the sky. Thank you for everything, Irrfan Khan,” wrote Coehlo. The author also quoted the ‘Bhagvad Gita’ to pay tribute to the late actor.

Condoling the demise of both Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor, American diplomat Alice Wells, expressed her grief via a tweet. "Very saddened to hear of the passing two Bollywood legends this week, Irrfan Khan @irrfank and Rishi Kapoor @chintskap," State SCA said in a tweet attributed to US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) Alice Wells.


US and German ambassadors to India, also mourned Khan’s demise. ‘His loss will be deeply felt,’ wrote Ken Juster.


Hollywood A-lister Angelina Jolie lauded the late actor’s generosity and said that it was a ‘privilege’ to work with him.

Khan and Jolie had shared screen space with each other in Michael Winterbottom’s 2007 film about US journalist Daniel Pearl who was killed in Pakistan in 2002. In a statement, the 44-year-old actress hailed Irrfan for his commitment to his craft.

"I remember the intensity of his commitment, and equally his smile. I send my condolences and my sympathy to his family, his friends, and all admirers of his work, in India and around the world," Jolie said.

Calling Khan, the ‘guiding light for so many of us’, ‘Venom’ star Riz Ahmed also took to the micro-blogging site to pay homage to Khan. “I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others,” wrote Ahmed.

‘The Office’ star Mindy Kaling penned a heartfelt caption on Instagram, remembering some of the best works of Khan. Calling him her favourite actor, Kaling shared that the late actor had once written to her to see if they could collaborate on something. Kaling called it the ‘greatest honour’ of her career.

View this post on Instagram

I’m devastated by the news that the legend, Irrfan Khan, passed away at the age of 53. He was my favorite actor. Irrfan’s performances were defined by his subtlety and sensitivity, he could do more with silence and many actors could do with a two page Sorkin monologue. You watched him onscreen and thought “I know that person!” in any role he played, even if he was being chased around Europe in a Da Vinci Code movie with @tomhanks. He once wrote me to see if we could collaborate on something, and it remains the greatest honor of my career. If you aren’t familiar with his work, please watch Mira Nair’s The Namesake, or Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox. You will become a lifelong fan, I promise. I feel robbed of his future performances. My heart goes out to his family.

A post shared by Mindy Kaling (@mindykaling) on Apr 29, 2020 at 8:24am PDT

American film-maker and ‘When They See Us’ creator, Ava DuVernay, posted an emotional message with a picture of the actor.

‘Jurassic World’ director Colin Trevorrow called Khan, “a thoughtful man who found beauty in the world around him, even in pain.”

Khan’s ‘Namesake’ co-star Kal Penn wrote, “Irrfan’s art and humanity will be badly missed.”

The Academy and Golden Globes also paid tribute to the late actor, saying that he will be ‘greatly missed’.
A mainstay of Bollywood cinema and incredible talent in films like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Life of Pi” and “The Nam… https://t.co/cso3sfzVw1— The Academy (@TheAcademy) 1588174055000 75445179