Mumbai: Well-known film reviewer, restaurateur and the occasional actor, Rashid Irani, passed away at his Marine Lines home a couple of days ago. His remains were discovered Monday in the bathroom of the apartment where he lived alone.

The Azad Maidan police have registered an accidental death case and sent the body to JJ Hospital for post-mortem.

Irani, 74, was the Western film critic for The Times of India over a span of decades. He was the owner of Britannia Cafe at Dhobi Talao which shut down many years ago.

The Mumbai Press Club issued a condolence message that described him as a pillar of the Press Club Film Society, one “who didn’t miss a day at the media centre writing his reviews and watching films.”

Its statement said, “Irani passed away probably on July 30 night at home. He was not seen for 2-3 days. A search by friends, Press Club officials and police led to his house where his mortal remains were found.”

Film makers Sudhir Mishra and Karan Johar mourned his passing on social media.

Irani owned a home library of 5,000 books and spent his time watching films and reading. His friend Rafeeq Ellias said he had contracted Covid-19 last year and suffered a haemorrhage after a fall at the Goa Film Festival.

Irani had expressed how the prolonged Coronavirus lockdown had turned him into an “automaton”. In an interview to a city newspaper in 2020, Irani had said, “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.”