Sushant Singh Rajput, Irrfan Khan, Rishi Kapoor: In memoriam of talent powerhouses who left us in 2020

The year 2020 has been a lost year for many as life came to a standstill, and the world dealt with a raging pandemic. Lakhs died will others were severely impacted. To make it even worse, several noted figures in the field of films, television and music passed away this year, leaving their fans in shock and disbelief. Here’s in memoriam to those who passed away this year.

Irrfan Khan, 53

Actor Irrfan’s death broke hearts of his millions of fans across the globe. The actor had taken part in a virtual promotion of his film Angrezi Medium just a month and half before his demise. Irrfan, who was undergoing treatment for neuroendocrine tumour for two years, had put a philosophical face on the ordeal. His work lives on.

Rishi Kapoor, 67

Even before people could come to terms with Irrfan’s death, veteran actor Rishi Kapoor died of leukaemia the very next day. In 2019, the actor was declared as cancer-free and had returned to India in September 2019 after a year-long treatment in New York. In an emotional message, the actor’s family said he would like to be remembered ‘with a smile and not with tears’. They said the actor passed away peacefully and kept the hospital staff entertained till the end.

Sushant Singh Rajput, 34

Sushant Singh Rajput’s death came as the most unexpected one and his fans, friends and family are yet to make peace with it. The actor was found dead at his residence and his death was ruled as suicide after preliminary investigations by the Mumbai Police. While his family has accused his actor girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty of abetting his suicide, a murder angle was also probed whereas investigations into a drug angle are still on. Meanwhile, his family and fans continue to demand justice for the actor as the CBI is yet to come up with a conclusion.

Chiranjeevi Sarja, 39

Kannada actor Chiranjeevi Sarja died of cardiac arrest at the age of 39. However, his family continues to keep him alive by making him a part of every memory they create, include the birth of actor’s first child. He was very much a part of wife Meghana’s baby shower as she posed with a life-sized placard of his husband’s photo. His family stood like a pillar of strength for themselves and Meghana and pledged to remember him as a ‘celebration’.

Chadwick Boseman, 43

Black Panther Chadwick Boseman’s sudden departure left his fans in grief, and shock. The actor had silently suffered from colon cancer while continuing to work in films. He emerged as a real superhero as it was revealed that he shot for Marshall to Da 5 Bloods and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom between multiple surgeries and chemotherapy.

Wajid Khan, 42

Wajid Khan’s death also came as a shock for his fans as young music composer left too early. He was said to be suffering from multiple issues after undergoing a kidney transplant. He was on ventilator for a few days before his condition got worse. He had created numerous Bollywood numbers, many of which were for Salman Khan. In fact, he had worked with Salman on one of his latest songs, Bhai Bhai during lockdown.

Saroj Khan, 71

Veteran choreographer Saroj Khan will forever be mourned by the many actresses who imitated her to deliver some iconic dance numbers. She made all from Madhuri Dixit to Sridevi dance to her beats and played a vital role in etching out their illustrious careers. She was known for giving a Rs 1 coin to her most talented students if impressed by their dance performance. Upon her death, Amitabh Bachchan had revealed one such incident when she complimented him along with the prize money.

Sean Connery, 90

Sean Connery, considered to be the best actor to have played James Bond in as many as seven 007 movies, died at 90. His words “The name’s Bond... James Bond” continue to be one of the most popular catchlines ever. The Oscar winner played the iconic character for more than two decades in films like Dr. No, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again.

S P Balasubrahmanyam, 74

Legendary singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, who sang more than 40,000 songs in 16 languages, died of complications after testing positive for Covid-19. He was admitted at a Chennai hospital for more than a month and even showed signs of recovery, before suffering a cardio- respiratory arrest. As the entire music and film industry mourned his demise, Kamal Haasan had said that SPB had been a part of his ‘romance, melancholy, happiness, first love and marriage’.

Asif Basra, 53

Asif Basra’s unexpected death is yet to be accepted by his admirers. The actor is said to have died by suicide in Dharamshala. He had recently appeared in the hit show, Paatal Lok. Many couldn’t believe he left so early with Manoj Bajpayee saying that the two had shot for a project just before lockdown.

Nishikant Kamath, 50

Drishyam and Madaari director Nishikant Kamath could have delivered many more gems had he not left so early. He was suffering from a chronic liver disease and died of multiple organ failure. Condoling his death, Randeep Hooda had written on Twitter, “You lived and died by what you decided you loved more than anything else .. I’m sure you had no regrets about much.”

Soumitra Chatterjee,85

Veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee’s demise signalled the end of an era. He was known as filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s favourite as the two went on to deliver 14 noteworthy films like Apur Sansar, Abhijan, Charulata and many more. He had made his debut with Apur Sansar opposite a 15-year-old debutant, Sharmila Tagore.

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