At first glance, it appears to be Irrfan Khan. Those same hooded piercing eyes, that same straight stare at the camera. But the nose seems different, and the man appears taller and heftier…

Speculation galore sparked off the moment a Pakistani news anchor shared this picture of a man who resembles Irrfan Khan, watching the England vs Pakistan test match at Lords. The female sports anchor Zainab Abbas posted the picture on her Twitter handle, informing that it was a photograph of Irrfan Khan originally shared by Furqan Bhatti, who works as a cameraman for a news website.

https://twitter.com/ZAbbasOfficial/status/1000775915276730368

Since then, the image has gone viral. The man in question does bear a very close resemblance to the Piku actor. While Irrfan is in the UK to seek treatment for Neuro Endocrine Tumor, there has been no proper update on his health status. There are doubts whether he is fit enough to be on his feet, attending a cricket match in a crowded stadium.

However, there have been positive signals about the actor’s health. Director Shoojit Sircar, who worked with Irrfan in Piku, had recently revealed that he would be working with Irrfan on a film that is scheduled to roll by the end of this year. Sircar also shared that Irrfan is doing well and is responding to treatment. The film in question is a biopic on the life of Udham Singh.

RECOMMENDED READ: IRRFAN KHAN IN SHOOJIT SIRCAR’S MOST AMBITIOUS FILM TILL DATE — THE UDHAM SINGH BIOPIC

Speaking to a tabloid Shoojit had shared, “I’ve been speaking to both Irrfan and his wife (Sutapa Sikdar), he’s responding well to the treatment and trying to cope with the knowledge that he’s battling NeuroEndocrine tumour by treating the recuperation in Europe like a short and unexpected holiday. I’m planning to visit him next month. We hope to roll by the year-end but will wait till Irrfan is ready to shoot. He’s one of our finest actors and a dear friend.”

If it is indeed our man Irrfan in the pictures that have gone viral, we love his style: marking your return with a game of cricket at Lords sure spells class!