Irrfan Khan’s last film, Angrezi Medium, released on March 13, 2020, a heartwarming story of a father and daughter that turned out to be his cinematic farewell. Just weeks later, on April 29, 2020, the legendary actor passed away due to a neuroendocrine tumour, leaving behind a void in Indian cinema that still feels impossible to fill.
Even five years on, his close friend and fellow actor Vipin Sharma continues to carry those memories with warmth and reverence. In a recent interview with Lallantop, Vipin recalled his last meeting with Irrfan in London, a day that stayed etched in his heart forever.
“The day his chemo started, I went to see him”
Vipin shared that he visited Irrfan at the hospital on the very day his chemotherapy began. “I went to the hospital and headed to the fourth floor. I was so happy to see a book by Rumi placed next to his bed. Even in that condition, he was reading,” he said.
As fate would have it, the two friends almost missed each other. “I was on my way down and we crossed paths, he was entering the hospital. I remember he had a shawl wrapped around him. We hugged, and later sat together in his room for quite a while. His humour was exactly the same. He was laughing loudly.”
Despite his illness, Irrfan’s spirit remained untouched. Vipin chuckled while recalling a moment from the hospital room: “His mini fridge was stuffed with food. He said, ‘Look yaar, so much food! I’m so hungry. People must be thinking nothing’s wrong with me, I’m eating like this.’”
Irrfan Khan’s little world in a hospital room
Vipin described how Irrfan had created a small, vibrant world within the hospital, complete with television, OTT platforms, and people who cared. “There were some Malayali nurses who often chatted with him. They used to play hopscotch and would occasionally play with him too. They all knew him,” he said. “That was his little world—his hospital room with all the TV channels, Netflix, Amazon Prime. Some of his friends had arranged it for him.”
“He was watching everything. He was a fighter,” Vipin added with emotion. “I can’t describe the amount of pain he went through. But he was always curious, always wanting to learn something. He even did a film after all of it. He really was a fighter.”
