Keep a box of tissues handy because a montage of film scenes put together by the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences is going to make you well up. The clip, titled "A celebration of hope - through the lens of movies we love," ends with a familiar, beloved and much-missed face - Irrfan Khan in a scene from Life Of Pi. Irrfan, who starred in several Hollywood films, died of cancer this year at the age of 53. The Academy's montage is intended to remind a world crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic that just like in the movies, hope floats; it opens with a scene from Her starring Joaquin Phoenix and skips through several iconic films including Al Pacino's Scent Of A Woman dialogue: "There is nothing like the sight of an amputated spirit. There's no prosthetic." Life Of Pi, in which Irrfan Khan plays the adult version of Piscine Molitor Patel, who survived a shipwreck and life in a boat with a tiger. In the scene, Pi Patel is asked if his story has a happy ending. "Well, that's upto you," he replies.
Words to live by. The montage uses scenes from other films such Black Panther, The Dark Knight, The Great Dictator and even, ironically, Oscar-snubbed films made by female directors such as Greta Gerwig's Little Women. But, and it's a big but, while many men speak in the montage apart from Al Pacino and Irrfan Khan, there is only one dialogue from a female character - Legally Blonde's Elle Woods. The error of omission didn't escape Twitter, with responses such as "In this video, looking for women's inclusion" and "Not a lot of women, ah?"
A celebration of hope-through the lens of movies we love. pic.twitter.com/EYZ5FPvHdl
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) July 29, 2020
In this video Looking for women's inclusion 🕵🏽♂️
— Abhishek Bhalerao (@Mumbaiactor1) July 30, 2020
Not a lot of women ah? 😑
— QuarantineBlonde (@carohorr) July 29, 2020
Irrfan Khan's closing appearance in The Academy's video celebrating cinema made Twitter quite a bit emotional. Actresses Richa Chadha and Nimrat Kaur, who co-starred with Irrfan Khan in The Lunchbox, shared the video, fondly remembering the actor with "a heavy heart."
A heavy heart smiles with the last frame. Such a rich, moving collage. #IrrfanForever https://t.co/OhGMc87tT7
— Nimrat Kaur (@NimratOfficial) July 29, 2020
This tweet sums up everything that fans of Irrfan Khan had to say after watching the video:
Beautiful. Especially the ending with Irrfan Khan 🙏 pic.twitter.com/cn3A465aFn
— Film Vibe (@FILMVIBE_CALI) July 29, 2020
Red hearts flooded Twitter as tributes to Irrfan Khan poured in. "The Academy, thank you for honouring our best," tweeted a fan:
@TheAcademy thanks for honouring our best.
— ghanshyam lalsa (@LalsaSam) July 30, 2020
Irfan khan ❣️
— Vijay (@o_jaanu) July 29, 2020
Irfan Khan ❤
— Amar.N.SHARMA (@ANZAMAR) July 29, 2020
Irfan Khan ❤️
— JON ¥ $NOW (@BeingKingSnow) July 29, 2020
Thank you for having Irrfan 🙏🏾
— Chihiro ☄️ (@AmazonianPixel) July 29, 2020
Life Of Pi was among Irrfan Khan's many international credits - he also starred in The Namesake, Slumdog Millionaire, The Amazing Spider-Man, Jurassic World and Inferno. His last film was Bollywood movie Angrezi Medium.
