Film critic Rashid Irani passes away at 74

Irani had not been keeping well and also had Covid-19 last year

Veteran film critic Rashid Irani passed away in Mumbai.

He was 74.

One of the country's foremost film critics and a very senior Mumbai Press Club member, he likely passed away on July 30 night at home.

He was not seen for 2-3 days. A search by friends, Mumbai Press Club officials, and police led to his house in Marine Lines, where his mortal remains were found.

Irani was one of the Press Club Film Society pillars and a core member of the club, who didn't miss a day at the media centre writing his reviews and watching films.

He was a long-time movie reviewer for leading newspapers like The Times of India and The Hindustan Times among others. A voracious reader, Irani would spend most of his time watching movies and reading books and had a home library with over 5,000 books.

Last year in an interview to Mid-Day, he said the lockdown has turned him into an automaton. “Like most people, I am disoriented and have become borderline depressive. While I live alone, I do not thrive on this loneliness; I need human contact.”