Mumbai, April 29 (IANS) Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar are unanimous in declaring that Irrfan Khan was the "greatest actor" of the presentday Hindi film industry.

The Padma Shri and National Award recipient breathed his last in Mumbai's Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani hospital early on Wednesday. He has been hospitalised on Tuesday with a colon infection.

Shah Rukh Khan, who cast Irrfan in the title role of his 2009 production "Billu", remembered him as a "friend, inspiration and the greatest actor" of his times".

In his tweet, SRK wrote: "My friend...inspiration & the greatest actor of our times. Allah bless your soul Irrfan bhai...will miss you as much as cherish the fact that you were part of our lives. Paimana kahe hai koi, maikhana kahe hai duniya teri ankhon ko bhi, kya kya na kahe hain...Love u."

Superstar Akshay Kumar, who shared the screen with Irrfan Khan in films like "Aan: Men At Work" (2004) and "Thank You" (2011), shared: "Such terrible news...saddened to hear about the demise of #IrrfanKhan, one of the finest actors of our time. May God give strength to his family in this difficult time."

Irrfan's "Piku" co-star Deepika Padukone shared a black screen on her Facebook wall to mourn the loss of the actor. The actress used a heartbroken emoji along with the hashtag #irrfankhan.

Aamir Khan called Irrfan a "wonderful talent". He tweeted: "Very sad to hear about our dear colleague Irrfan. How tragic and sad. Such a wonderful talent. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Thank you Irrfan for all the joy you have brought to our lives through your work. You will be fondly remembered."

Salman Khan described Irrfan's demise with this tweet: "Big loss to the film industry, his fans, all of us n specially his family. My heart goes out to his family. May God give them strength. Rest in peace brother u shall always be missed n be in all our hearts.."

Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu called Irrfan Khan a "brilliant actor" and shared: "Deeply saddened by the news of #IrrfanKhan's untimely demise. A brilliant actor gone too soon. He will be truly missed... My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP ."

Hrithik Roshan called him a "rare human being" and said "I will miss you." The actor wrote: "I had not more than a couple of conversations with you Irfan but I have a tear in my eye as I type this .You were a rare human being. I will miss you. Thank you for showing me what being authentic truly means. RIP."

Remembering her "Gunday" (2014) co-star, Priyanka Chopra shared on Twitter: "The charisma you brought to everything you did was pure magic. Your talent forged the way for so many in so many avenues.. You inspired so many of us. #IrrfanKhan you will truly be missed. Condolences to the family."

Another "Gunday" co-star Arjun Kapoor wrote: "My 3rd film, my first day on set & I had the pleasure of standing in frame with you. It felt surreal then & it feels gut wrenching now to know that's all the time we had together. Thank you for all the amazing work. Hope the pain is lesser wherever you are.
RIP Irrfan Sir."

"Life In A Metro" actress Konkona Sen Sharma feels "the world is a lesser place now". She tweeted: "Irrfan shone so bright that we all reflected in his glory. Who will we look to for such integrity again? The world is a lesser place now. Thank you for having the courage to be yourself and unlocking worlds for us, Irrfan. We will remember you."

Shahid Kapoor called his "Haider" (2014) co-star a "truly gifted actor" and a "wonderful man". He shared: "It's so sad to hear about #IrfanKhan passing away. I have learned so much from him as an actor just by sharing screen space with him. A truly gifted actor. And a wonderful man. He really has #GoneTooSoon I'm sure the heavens have saved a special place for him."

Irrfan's "Jazbaa" co-star Shabana Azmi wrote: "Deeply saddened to learn that #Irffan Khan passed away this morning. Gone too soon .. such a powerful actor and how valiantly he fought back the cancer. Its a big loss not only to his family but to the entire film industry. RIP."

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar tweeted: "#IrrfanKhan was truly a one of a kind actor and the magic he brought to the screen will be sorely missed. RIP. #gonetosoon."

Filmmaker Karan Johar shared: "Thank you for those indelible movie memories....thank you for raising the bar as an artist ...thank you for enriching our Cinema....we will miss you terribly Irrfan but will always always be immensely grateful for your presence in our lives.....our cinema....we salute you."

Anil Kapoor expressed: "Indescribably saddened to hear that we've lost Irrfan Khan. I'll always be thankful to him for taking care of Sonam when they worked together & for being her guiding light at the time. He was an inspiration for everyone, a remarkable actor, unmatched talent & a great human being."

Madhuri Dixit Nene shared Irrfan Khan had a "heart of gold". The actress tweeted: "Saddened to hear the news about Irrfan Khan. One of the finest actors with a heart of gold. My deepest condolences to his family during this tough time."

Manisha Koirala believes Irrfan will continue to live through his "brilliant work in our hearts forever". The actress shared: "You will live through you brilliant work in our hearts for forever, you are irreplacebale dear friend ..our conversations on spirituality, books, films..will remain with me as a treasur #IrrfanKhan #RestInPeace."

Arshad Warsi, who was a close friend of the actor and has shared the screen in movies like "Krazzy 4", expressed: "I just can't believe Irfan is no more. Industry has lost a great actor and I have lost a dear friend.... RIP Irfan ... Khuda Hafiz..."

--IANS abh/vnc