Film critic Rashid Irani passes away at 74

Rashid Irani, who had multiple health issues and lived alone, likely breathed his last on July 30 at his home in the South Mumbai neighbourhood of Dhobitalao, according to his close friend Rafeeq Ellias

August 03, 2021 03:59 am | Updated 03:59 am IST - Mumbai

Rashid Irani. File

Rashid Irani. File

Eminent film critic Rashid Irani, a much-loved figure in the cinema circles of the city, was found dead on August 2 at his residence in Mumbai. He was 74.

Irani, who had multiple health issues and lived alone, likely breathed his last on July 30 at his home in the South Mumbai neighbourhood of Dhobitalao, according to his close friend Rafeeq Ellias.

“It is terrible news. Most likely, he passed away Friday morning while having his bath because he was [found] in the bathroom. Since Friday, he had not been seen at the press club or at his usual breakfast place.

“We all thought he had gone out of town, so we waited, hoping he would be back on Sunday night. But today we got worried. We called the cops and broke the door,” Mr. Ellias told PTI .

According to Mr. Ellias, Irani had not been keeping well and also had COVID-19 last year.

“He had serious blood pressure and diabetes. Around two years ago, he had a fall at the film festival in Goa. He had a haemorrhage, it was a neurological condition. This was probably something similar. He had nobody, he lived alone in Mumbai all his adult life,” he added.

The official social media account of the Mumbai Press Club also tweeted about Irani’s demise.

“Rashid Irani, 74, one of the country’s foremost film critics, passed away probably on 30 July at home. He was not seen for 2-3 days; a search by friends, club officials and police led to his home, where his mortal remains were found,” the press club said in a statement.

Irani, who had contributed several articles in national dailies like Times of India, Hindustan Times and the website Scroll.in , was “one of the pillars of the Mumbai Press Club Film Society”, the club further said in the statement.

The noted critic was a core member of the club, who didn’t miss a day at the media centre writing his reviews and watching films.

“He will be missed sorely by all members and staff. Details about his funeral will be announced soon,” the tweet read.

Cinema personalities like directors Karan Johar and Sudhir Mishra also paid rich tributes to the late critic.

Mr. Johar said Irani’s insight on cinema will always be treasured.

“Rest in peace Rashid….I remember all our interactions and conversations so fondly….” the filmmaker tweeted.

Recalling his early days in the 1980s Mumbai, Mr. Mishra said Irani was “the kind of Bombayite I grew to love”.

“Gentle, firm, held his own in a discussion but always listened. In front of him his city changed. He was in a sense like d Grandfather in Fellini’s Amarcord: lost near his own house! (sic)” he said, referring to the character played by Giuseppe Ianigro in the 1973 Italian comedy drama “Amarcord” directed by iconic filmmaker Federico Fellini.

Last year, Irani had spoken to Midday about feeling lonely as the coronavirus-induced lockdown had cut off his contact with people.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.