He didn’t just inspire us, but his colleagues as well, here is what celebs had to say about Irrfan’s impact on their lives. 

1. When Slumdog Millionaire‘s director, Danny Boyle reminisced how Irrfan turned a small role into an impactful one. 

“Irrfan was a wonderful actor and a pivotal figure in the making of Slumdog Millionaire. It wasn’t a huge role, and in fact on paper it was even less rewarding-looking. But Irrfan saw the possibility of guiding our audience – with his dignity, his grace, his charm, his intelligence and his calmness – through this crossword puzzle of an idea of a film,” he told BBC. 

2. When Marc Webb, the director of The Amazing Spider-Man, spoke of how Irrfan taught us that power and gentleness could co-exist.  

“Irrfan made it clear that power and gentleness could co-exist in a perfect balance. When he sings that song to his new wife at the bathroom door in The Namesake, it speaks of his father in Life of Pi. You are witnessing the magic of a magnificent talent. He may have been the most nuanced actor I have ever worked with and I will always be his dedicated fan. My thoughts and whole heart are with his loved ones.” he said. 

3. When Priyanka Chopra tweeted about how Irrfan paved the way for many like her in international cinema. 

4. When Colin Trevorrow, the director of Jurassic World fondly remembered the last words he and Irrfan exchanged. 

5. When Tom Hanks, while working with Irrfan in Inferno, spoke about how Irrfan was always the coolest guy in the room and he wished he could be that. 

“Here’s what I hate about Irrfan Khan,” he started at a press event. “I always think I’m the coolest guy in the room, and everybody’s hanging on to every word I say and everybody’s a little intimidated to be in my presence. And then Irrfan Khan walks into the room. And he’s the coolest guy in the room,” he added. 

“And as soon as I walked up to him I said, ‘Irrfan Khan, I’m going to steal from you everything I possibly can. I’m going to start speaking very quietly in films. I’m going to wear very nice suits. And I will draw out the last sound of every sentence that I say.’ And by doing that, I will be doing a very pale imitation of the coolest guy in the room.”

6. When Gabriel Byrne, who worked alongside Irrfan in the HBO series In Treatment with Khan, said that he learned the power of acting from Irrfan.  

“This is very, very sad news. Irrfan Khan was one of our greatest actors. I really loved the experience of working with him and would forget my lines because I got so caught up in what he was saying. If you want to show someone what is the ineffable power of acting, show them a clip of Irrfan. It was truly a privilege to work so intimately with him.”

7. When Adil Hussain shared these beautiful words that perfectly captured what Irrfan taught us as an actor. 

8. When Mira Nair spoke of how special every role Irrfan played was. 

“There was always this inimitable honesty and this twinkle, this knowing sense that he had seen through it. He was bringing it to you with nothing that covered the purity of the intent. I will miss you so much Irrfan but you have left an extraordinary legacy of work because you always knew that you were special, that you had something that must be cherished, nourished and not fritted away. That’s what you gave us, in each of your roles,” she said. 

9. When Naseeruddin Shah wrote for The Hindu that he did envy Irrfan and wish he could have learned from him sooner. 

“I feel absolutely no embarrassment, in confessing that I greatly envied his acting chops. And after witnessing something he had done often wished I could turn back the clock, and go over some of my old performances with the benefit of the hindsight and the understanding of acting that was his gift to all us lesser actors. Watching him, I could not hold back an untrammeled admiration, that at his age he seemed to have fully grasped the technique of acting, yet stayed hungry to learn more,” he wrote. 

10. When Dulquer Salmaan spoke of how Irrfan’s humility inspired him. 

“You were kind, witty, charming, curious, inspired, compassionate, and always fun. I observed you the entire time like a student and a fan,” he tweeted. 

He left an impression wherever he went.