Veteran Bollywood actor Kader Khan’s son Sarfaraz has said that his father has been admitted to a hospital in Canada, dismissing media reports of his demise.
“It is all a lie. It (is) just a rumour. My father is in the hospital,” Sarfaraz told.
The 81-year-old actor has developed breathing issues and the doctors have reportedly transferred him from regular ventilator to BiPAP ventilator.
Kader Khan is, reportedly, suffering from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia.
T 3041 - KADER KHAN .. actor writer of immense talent .. lies ill in Hospital .. PRAYERS and DUAS for his well being and recovery .. saw him perform on stage, welcomed him and his prolific writing for my films .. great company, a Libran .. and many not know , taught Mathematics ! pic.twitter.com/yE9SSkcPUF
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 28, 2018
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who has worked with Khan in films such as Do Aur Do Paanch, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Mr. Natwarlal, Suhaag, Coolie and Shahenshah, took to Twitter on Friday to pray for the veteran actor’s wellbeing and recovery.
“Kader Khan… actor writer of immense talent… lies ill in Hospital… Prayer and duas for his well being and recovery… Saw him perform on stage, welcomed him and his prolific writing for my films. Great company, a libran and many not know, taught Mathematics,” Bachchan tweeted.
prayers and duas .. https://t.co/hYVjnN2ZUr
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) December 28, 2018
Born in Kabul, Kader Khan made his acting debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna’s Daag and has featured in over 300 films.
He has also written dialogues for over 250 movies. Before becoming an actor, he had written dialogues for Randhir Kapoor-Jaya Bachchan’s Jawani Diwani.
As a screenwriter, Khan frequently collaborated with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra. His films with Desai include Dharam Veer, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati, Coolie, Desh Premee, Suhaag, Parvarish and Amar Akbar Anthony and films with Mehra include Jwalamukhi, Sharaabi, Lawaaris and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.
Last year, unconfirmed media reports stated that Kader Khan has moved to Canada for medical treatment.
However, later, Fauzia Arshi, director of his last film Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi, told news agency IANS: "He (Kader Khan) has been in Canada since three to four months. He is alright. He is in Canada because his elder son stays there, so he is with him. There's nothing like was he rushed to Canada or anything of that nature. Everything is fine." Kader Khan has reportedly been in a wheelchair after getting knee surgery in 2015.
In April 2016, rumours that Kader Khan had died went viral. However, a source close to the Khan family revealed that the reports were untrue. Later, Fauzia Arshi told the press, "All these tweets and posts are rumours. He is very much alive. I would request all to stop these rumours."