Irrfan's friend walks down the memory lane as the actor leaves for his heavenly abode

Irrfan Khan's death has left his family and friends in gloom; his childhood friend Hyder Ali Zaidi revealed the actor's struggles and his notion of "no pain, no gain."

Hyderabad: After the news pertaining to the demise of Irrfan Khan surfaced on Wednesday, his childhood friend, Hyder Ali Zaidi, SP of Bharatpur revealed that the versatile actor had to go through a lot of tough days to make a difference in the world.

"I still can't believe, he left all of us with the memories. He was an incredible human being, a man of letters who loved his life. Irrfan just didn't act, he lived each of the characters played on screen. I remember him calling me up before his shooting began for Paan Singh Tomar in order to know everything my profession involved," Hyder Ali Zaidi added.

He also stated that Irrfan was a 'self-made' man, his mother constantly asked him to come back to Jaipur and settle down there as a teacher. Further, in order to reach an insurmountable point of success, he had to go through many tough days. "Irrfan had to spend days travelling from local trains, not getting anything to eat, his financial struggle was a challenge he long had to bear," Hyder Ali said.

Reminiscing about his past, he elaborated, "My childhood would have been incomplete if it wasn't for Irrfan. Both of us were best friends and our families were very close. There was a day, I remember, I met an accident, all my friends left but Irrfan was there to help me".

Irrfan Khan passed away early morning on Wednesday at a hospital in Mumbai, where he was admitted for colon infection. The 53-year-old actor had been battling cancer since 2018 and his official spokesperson had confirmed on Tuesday that he was under doctor’s observation.