Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital refutes rumours of admitting actor Irrfan Khan

MUMBAI: Reports of actor Irrfan Khan being admitted to the Kokilaben Hospital here are untrue, sources at the hospital said today.

The denial came after rumours started circulating that the 51-year-old actor has brain cancer and has been admitted to the hospital.

On March 5, Irrfan had issued a statement that he was suffering from "a rare disease" and would share details when there was a conclusive diagnosis.

"It is not true. He is not here at the hospital for treatment," an official at the Kokilaben hospital told PTI.

The actor's team also quashed rumours of him being admitted to the private hospital.

Asked he has cancer, they declined to comment.

"We will comment as soon as possible. No comments at the moment," a spokesperson for the actor told PTI.

In a Twitter post, Irrfan, one of India's most versatile actors, had said he and his family were jolted by the knowledge of his illness, and requested his fans and followers not to "speculate" about his health.

On February 21, the actor's spokesperson released a statement, saying he has been diagnosed with a "severe case of jaundice".

In his almost three-decade career, the actor has established himself as one of the most dependable performers in the Indian film industry as well as in Hollywood.

He made his big screen debut with the Academy Award-nominated 1988 film "Salaam Bombay" and went on to give stellar performances in films such as "Haasil", "Maqbool", "Paan Singh Tomar", "The Lunchbox", "Piku" and "Hindi Medium".

Over the years, Irrfan cemented his position in international cinema with projects such as "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Namesake", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Jurassic World" and "Life of Pi".

Director Vishal Bhardwaj, who was scheduled to begin the shoot of his next, starring Irrfan and Deepika Padukone, postponed the filming of the project citing health concerns of his lead actors.

Irrfan's last released film was Tanuja Chandra's "Qarib Qarib Singlle".

His upcoming films include "Blackmail" and "Karwaan", a sequel to "Hindi Medium".