Veteran Actor-writer Kader Khan no more

Veteran actor-writer Kader Khan has died in Canada due to a prolonged illness, his son Sarfaraz confirmed today. He was 81. Kader Khan was admitted to a hospital in Canada on Friday after he complained of breathlessness; his funeral will take place later on Tuesday.

"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," Khan's son Sarfaraz said, adding, "We are thankful to everyone for their blessings and prayers," he added. He had dismissed Kader Khan's death rumours a day ago.

Kader Khan suffered from progressive supra nuclear palsy (PSP), a degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and dementia. Kader also underwent surgeries for his knees in 2017. The actor had been admitted after complaining of breathlessness and was put on a BiPAP ventilator. He was unable to talk and also showed signs of pneumonia.

Born in Kabul, Khan made his acting debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna's Daag and went on to act in over 300 films. He also wrote dialogues for over 250 movies, with his first film as a dialogue writer being Randhir Kapoor-Jaya Bachchan's Jawani Diwani. As a screenwriter, Khan frequently collaborated with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra.

Khan was synonymous with comic roles, especially in films with Govinda. He worked in a number of David Dhawan directed Govinda films like Dulhe Raja, Coolie No.1, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Raja Babu, Saajan Chale Sasural, Aunty No.1, among others. In fact, Khan has worked with all leading actors of 70s, 80s and 90s, including Rajesh Khanna, Bachchan, Jeetendra, Feroz Khan, Anil Kapoor and Govinda.

(Featured image : Inkhabar)