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Irrfan Khan: a seductive actor capable of exquisite gentleness | Peter Bradshaw

The Lunchbox star, who has died aged 53, was a vital bridge between Bollywood and Hollywood, and possessed a strong romantic appeal

Irrfan Khan was a distinguished and charismatic star in Hindi- and English-language movies whose hardworking career was an enormously valuable bridge between South Asian and Hollywood cinema. He was armed with a sensitive and seductive gaze: his good looks matured in middle age in such a way that he could play dramatic or villainous roles but also romantic leads of a certain age and of a certain emotional wistfulness. You could almost call him Mumbai’s Clooney — although it would be condescending to explain this colossal Indian star in Hollywood terms.

I first became aware of Khan and his marvellous screen presence in Asif Kapadia’s terrific 2001 film The Warrior, in which he has a powerful lead role as the warrior Lafcadia, the erstwhile servant and hitman to a murderous warlord who renounces the way of violence, retreats to the hills and must then confront another warrior who has been sent to kill him. It is an amazingly atmospheric movie (which Kapadia brought off with enormous skill before his own shift into documentaries) and Khan’s cool samurai hauteur was vital in making it work.

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