Veteran Indian actor Kader Khan dies at 81

Bollywood’s actor-cum-writer Kader Khan has died at the age of 81 in Canada after battling with chronic health issues; his last rituals will be observed on Tuesday (today), ARY News reported.

According to details, the seasoned artist was admitted to a hospital on Dec 28 after complaining about breathlessness. He was unable to talk and was put on a ventilator.

Kader’s son, Sarfaraz Khan, had dismissed the reports of his father’s death a day earlier, however, he confirmed the tragic news today while speaking to Press Trust of India (PTI).

“My dad has left us. He passed away on December 31 at 6 pm as per Canadian time due to prolonged illness. He slipped into coma in the afternoon. He was in the hospital for 16-17 weeks. The last rites will be performed here in Canada only. We have our entire family here and we live here so we are doing it,” Sarfaraz told PTI.

“We are thankful to everyone for their blessings and prayers,” he added.

Kader Khan had been suffering from progressive supra-nuclear palsy (PSP), a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia.

Khan was born in Kabul and made his Bollywood debut as an actor in 1973. Starting off his career with Rajesh Khanna’s Daag, the actor played various roles in over 300 films. Moreover, Khan wrote dialogues for above 250 movies. Randhir Kapoor-Jaya Bachchan’s Jawani Diwani was the first movie for Khan as a dialogue writer.

During his career, Khan was known in Bollywood for remarkably playing comic roles. He entertained his audience with a number of comedy hits like Dulhe Raja, Coolie No.1, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Raja Babu, Saajan Chale Sasural, Aunty No.1 and others.