Fans mourn Irrfan Khan's death as 'personal loss'

With his simple personality, a charming smile and a wide range of work, Irrfan Khan broke the language barrier when it came to connecting with his fans, many of whom term his untimely demise as a "personal loss".

Be it a metropolitan like Delhi, or a small town like Jorhat in Assam or Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, the actor's fans are in every nook and corner of the country and they are all mourning today.

Irrfan lost his battle with a rare form of cancer and died in a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday. He was 54.

The news of his sudden demise came as a shock to his fans, with many people posting their heartfelt tributes on social media, while several others changed their WhatsApp statuses and display pictures to condole the loss.

"I was watching business news when the news about his death flashed. I was shocked and actually cried, Padmaja Tamuli, a teacher hailing from Jorhat, Assam, said.

Chetan Patil, a Pune-based software engineer, said, "You could watch many of his movies repeatedly like Haasil', Ye Saali Zindagi', Qarib Qarib Singlle'. He came across as an effortless, natural actor. And the simplicity in his smile, probably this is the reason his death feels like a personal loss."