Irrfan Khan's Slumdog Millionaire costar Freida Pinto pens heartfelt note: A void that can never be filled

Actor Irrfan Khan has worked in a number of Bollywood and Hollywood films in his illustrious career spanning three decades. The actor was also a part of the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. As Irrfan left the world for a better place, his costar from the film, Freida Pinto, penned down a heartfelt note for him and called his absence a 'void that can never be filled.' Taking to her Instagram, Freida shared a photo of herself with Slumdog Millionaire stars Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor along with Irrfan from the SAG Awards.

Freida wrote, "This one has hit me hard. A VOID that can NEVER be filled because there was simply no one like Irrfan Khan. His grace and dignity along with his monumental talent as an artist, actor - a portrayer of humanity in all it's shapes and forms made me not only have deep admiration for him but I instinctively wanted to emulate that grace in my career as well."

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She added, "There is a picture from the SAG awards( Irrfan, Dev, me and Anil) that sits on my book shelf in Mumbai and everytime I look at it, I am taken down a memory lane of all things so beautiful and joyous about Slumdog Millionaire and the awards celebrations. And in all of it I have this one beautiful and powerful memory of Irrfan - Unfazed by the glitzy glamour, no matter which Hollywood icon walked past us. Quiet but not silent- his responses to every interviewer were so meaningful and never lacking humour. He was representing India with achingly high levels of grace and dignity. He stood grounded in reality on every world stage, every red carpet- Grateful and so collected! How lucky was I, a complete little mess of a newbie, to have him as a role model!"

"For those who know of his talent, you know it cannot be replaced. For those who have not yet been introduced to his talent...Oh, do not deprive yourselves please! His repertoire has something for everyone. Warrior, Namesake, Piku, Maqbool, Life of Pi, The Lunchbox, Paan Singh Tomar and ofcourse Slumdog Millionaire. Start somewhere, anywhere! I promise you...Irrfan Khan will be FOREVER carved in your memories too!"

Irrfan Khan breathed his last on Wednesday after fighting colon infection. The actor is survived by his wife Sutapa Sikdar and sons Babil and Ayan. His last rites took place at 3 pm On Wednesday at Versova burial ground. Due to lockdown, not many people were allowed to last their last respects to the. Only 20 people other than his sons were allowed to gather for the burial.