In the demise of film critic and historian Rashid Irani, Mumbai has lost one of its great cinephiles and Dhobi Talao, a regular patron of its famed movie houses and Parsi cafes. Irani was found dead in his home in Dhobi Talao on July 30. He was 74. The noted critic had written for several national dailies including The Times of India and Hindustan Times. During his extensive career, the Mumbaikar—who was a popular face at the Mumbai Press Club —was also a part of the selection committee for the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) festival.

Rafeeq Ellias, city-based filmmaker and friend of Irani, who visited him regularly in the last one year till 15 days ago, said Irani was very upset in the early days of the lockdown because he was deprived of cinema and was starving for it. “It was killing him much more than the absence of vegetables on the street. It is at that time that the Mumbai Press Club arranged that he could watch movies there daily, on a computer which was provided by Anurag Kashyap and an internet connection provided by MAMI,” Ellias observes, while making arrangements for the funeral service, which will be held tomorrow. 

Irani spending time at the Press Club in Mumbai watching movies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Rafeeq Ellias

Irani was a core member of the Mumbai Press Club's film society and Ellias emphasises that the club became Irani's second home during the pandemic time. It helped him sustain and watch movies at the media centre. “He was there at 9:30 am and left by 5:30 pm. Whenever I met him at Edward restaurant for tea or breakfast, he was always in a hurry to watch the movies there. He would see anything between three to five movies every day,” he recalls. “His great desire was to die in a cinema hall and not at home.” Irani lived alone.