The skies are grey. The world is quiet. We’re all suffering. Things are made worse when people whom you have grown up with and those you admire, pass away.

It’s been a strange week. Over 21,000 people died of Coronavirus but amongst that, cinema fans have mourned the deaths of not one but two beloved actors.

On Wednesday this week, one of my most favourite actors Irrfan Khan passed away. This was a huge shock to me despite me knowing that he’d been suffering with an illness for a while. It came four days after his mother had passed away. Yesterday, we grieved for another icon of Indian cinema. The ultimate romantic hero Rishi Kapoor died after a long battle with cancer.

Let me talk about Irrfan

I think this one shocked me the most. The distinguished actors work is recognised not just in India, but he was someone who made his name in Hollywood films such as Slumdog Millionaire, The Namesake, Jurassic Park, Spiderman, The Warrior and many others.

My favourite will always be The Lunchbox where Irrfan played Saajan Fernandes a widower who exchanges letters through a tiffin lunchbox. His nuanced performance was one of the most subtle but powerful performances of his in my opinion. And subtle is the word I would use to describe all of his performances. Nothing was over the top about him. I’ve heard from so many people about his kindness and that showed in his performances. Hindi films I would recommend of his are Piku, Maqbool and Hindi Medium. Angrezi Medium was his last movie and i’ll be watching that this weekend. I don’t think there will be anyone like him to grace our screens.

Now, Rishi..

I think his death didn’t really hit me until later last night, when BBC news did a lovely feature about his life and the impact he’s had on so many people. Rishi Kapoor was completely different to Irrfan, the flamboyant and outspoken actor was the ultimate Bollywood romantic hero. I grew up on a heavy dose of Bollywood and his films feature at the top of any lists I’d create if I were to name the films I’d watched during my childhood. I’ll particularly remember Chandni, Henna, Amar Akbar Anthony, Deewana, Damini and more recently Kapoor and Sons and Student of the Year. He made geeky sweaters cool! There are so many films that come to mind that it is impossible to list them all. Rishi wasn’t just a Bollywood hero. He came from the Kapoor family who pioneered Hindi cinema.

Goodbye to two powerhouses, you’ll be missed.

Ps, I hope you’re having a drink together in heaven. Tell Sridevi that I miss her.

Pic credit – I found them all online but couldn’t find the person who posted them originally, so apologies for not crediting you x