Irrfan Khan unknown facts: From giving up cricket for mere Rs 200 to working as repairman

The untimely death of Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan in the morning of Wednesday, April 29, has left a void among fans that will never be filled. He was 53 when he breathed his last at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai after battling cancer for two years. Irrfan is survived by wife Sutapa Sikder, and sons Babil and Ayan. 

The legendary actor, who was last seen in Angrezi Medium, is known for his remarkable performance in movies like Paan Singh Tomar, Maqbool, Piku, Hindi Medium, Talvar, Life In A Metro, among many others. He was honoured with Padma Shri in 2011 and had earned a National Award for his performance in Paan Singh Tomar.

While Irrfan will always be remembered for his brilliant performances and his contribution to Indian cinema, here are some of the unknown facts about the talented actor. 

Irrfan Khan hails from royal family: The Life of Pi actor was born to a Muslim Pathan family on January 7, 1967, in Jaipur. His late mother Begum Khan was from the Tonk Hakim family while father, the late Jagirdar Khan, was from the Khajuriya village near the Tonk district. His father ran a tyre business.

Irrfan wanted to be a cricketer: Irrfan never wanted to be an actor, instead, his passion was cricket and was part of several tournaments as well. Although his parents were not keen on him taking up cricket as a career, he had to force himself to give up his dreams when he could not afford a Rs 200-250 ticket to travel to Ajmer for a tournament.

He worked as a repairman: After failing to become a cricketer, Irrfan pursued a diploma in Dramatic Arts and upon arriving in Mumbai, he started working as an air conditioner repairman. If the rumours are to be believed, one of the first houses he visited for repairing services was that of the legend and Bollywood's first-ever superstar Rajesh Khanna.

He got is the name changed: The Angrezi Medium actor's real name was Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan and in 2012, he added an additional 'r' in his name Irrfan, apparently not because of numerology but because he liked the sound of it.

Turned down an offer from Hollywood film director Christopher Nolan: The actor had turned down a huge opportunity to work with Hollywood film director Christopher Nolan in the movie Interstellar. as he was busy with Lunch Box and D Day. His movie LunchBox is the only Indian movie to have ever won a TFCA (Toronto Film Critics Association Award).