TORONTO, Jan 1, 2019 (BSS/PTI) – Kader Khan, best known for penning some
of the most powerful dialogues and comic timing as an actor, passed away on
December 31 due to prolonged illness. He was 81.
Khan was admitted to a hospital in Canada and his son Sarfaraz confirmed
that the actor died Monday.
“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,” Sarfaraz told PTI.
He also said the last rites of the veteran actor will be performed in
Canada.
“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. We are thankful to everyone
for their blessings and prayers,” he added.
The news of the death of the actor-screenwriter, who was at his peak in
the 1980s-90s, comes a day after his son dismissed media reports of his
demise.
Khan had developed breathing issues and the doctors had reportedly
transferred him from regular ventilator to BiPAP ventilator.
As per reports, he was suffering from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a
degenerative disease that causes loss of balance, difficulty in walking and
dementia.
Born in Kabul, Khan made his acting debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna’s
“Daag” and has featured in over 300 films.
He wrote 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”, “Muqaddar Ka
Sikandar”.
Khan’s frequent collaborator megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Manoj
Bajpayee and Arjun Kapoor remembered the actor for his contribution to
cinema.
“Kader Khan passes away. Sad depressing news. My prayers and condolences.
A brilliant stage artist a most compassionate and accomplished talent on
film.
“A writer of eminence; in most of my very successful films. A delightful
company and a mathematician,” Bachchan wrote.
The duo worked together on blockbusters such as “Do Aur Do Paanch”,
“Muqaddar Ka Sikandar”, “Mr Natwarlal”, “Suhaag”, “Coolie” and “Shahenshah.
“Rest in peace Kader Khan saheb,” Bajpayee tweeted.
Union minister Smriti Irani credited Khan for giving the audiences some of
the best funny moments.
“If you were a late 80s-90s kid who watched Hindi films, chances are you
encountered the magic of Kader Khan. Never had the privilege of meeting him
but if I ever had I would say ‘thank you for the laughter, thank you for your
craft’,” she tweeted.
Calling him one of the finest actors of India, Kher said Khan will be
missed for his brilliance.
“Kader Khan Saab was one of the finest actors of our country. It was a joy
and a learning experience to be on the sets with him. His improvisational
skills were phenomenal. His humour was eternal and original. He was a
wonderful writer. We will miss him and his brilliance,” he wrote.
“An actor and a writer who defined a generation… You’ve left a void in
the industry that cannot be filled… RIP Kader Khan… My heartfelt prayers
to his family,” Arjun tweeted.
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar said, “Sad to hear the demise of the versatile
writer, actor, comedian Kader Khan. He made us laugh and cry at the same
time.He entertained us with his punchful dialogues. God bless his soul RIP
Sir.”
Director Anees Bazmee tweeted, “Saddened to hear about #KaderKhan. Had the
privilege to work with him as a writer in Aankhen, Raja Babu, Shola Aur
Shabnam, Bol Radha Bol, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi and direct him in my debut film
Hulchul. RIP Kader Khan. You shall always be missed.”
Actor-comic Vir Das remembered Khan as one of the “few talents to straddle
comedic and dramatic work so brilliantly for so long.”
Filmmaker Milap Zaveri said he has a huge regret that he never got an
opportunity to work with the highly-regarded actor.
“RIP Kader Khan sir… You were an actor par excellence but an equally
brilliant writer. Still quote your lines from the original ‘Agneepath’ to
people. ‘Peeche nahi jaane ka. Peeche jaane se guzra hua waqt laut ke nahi
aata’,” he tweeted.
National Film Archive of India (NFAI) also paid tributes to the actor.
“We are deeply saddened by the demise of prominent actor-screenwriter
#KaderKhan. Renowned for his effortless comic performances, he also wrote the
striking dialogues for some of the most popular Hindi films like ‘Amar Akbar
Anthony’, ‘Coolie’ and ‘Agneepath’,” a post on its official Twitter handle
read.