When Irrfan Khan's wife Sutapa Sikdar revealed he would fast on Lord Shiva's day: 'He read the upanishads and Ramakrishna Paramhansa'

Time of India

08-05-2025

's demise in 2020 left the entire nation deeply saddened, and his wife
Sutapa Sikdar
opened up about the void it had created in her life following his untimely passing after battling cancer.
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She had once spoken about his unconventional views on religion and spirituality.
Sutapa about Irrfan's spirituality
In an old conversation with The Times of India, Sutapa shared personal anecdotes that shed light on Irrfan's introspective nature and evolving relationship with faith.
She recalled how, despite not being a Muslim, she observes fasts — something she attributes to her late husband's teachings. According to her, Irrfan believed that faith transcends formal conversion or rituals.
'He had taught me that one didn't have to convert to be a Muslim, to keep rozas, or to converse with Allah,' she said.
Irrfan Khan's Son Babil Khan's Team Clarifies After Emotional Video Goes Viral
Irrfan
fasting on 'somvaar'
Although Irrfan himself was unable to fast due to health reasons, Sutapa mentioned that he had expressed a strong desire to do so in his final years. 'Irrfan couldn't fast, though he desperately wanted to during the last two years. He would say, ki ek din hafte mein main fasting karunga hi (I will fast once a week).
And he shocked his relatives by saying, 'Maine soch liya hai ki main somvaar ka fast karunga, Shivji ka din hota hai' (I have decided that I will fast on Mondays, as it is the day of
Lord Shiva
),' she recounted.
She also reflected on the sense that he might eventually have created his own religion, adding that he was preparing to leave the film industry in search of his own truth.
Irrfan's reading on religion
'He was on a journey of discovery — of himself, of this world, and of greater things beyond it, perhaps even a parallel reality.
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He was constantly engaged — reading and studying, you know. He was like, how should I put it… matlab ek yatri hota hai na duniya mein (a traveller in this world)? That was his only reality — he did not believe in anything else,' she revealed.
Sutapa said Irrfan was deeply engrossed in reading scriptures and works by spiritual leaders. 'Religion for him was spirituality. During this period, he read the
Upanishads
, he read
Ramakrishna Paramhansa
, Vivekananda..
. but he was never a typically 'religious' person. Osho, Mahavira — he read everything,' she shared.
Sutapa and Irrfan's marriage
Sutapa and Irrfan tied the knot in 1995, and they welcomed their son,
, in 1998.
Babil
made his acting debut with the 2022 film 'Qala', after previously working as a camera assistant.