Veteran actor and dialogue writer Kader Khan has been on the BiPAP ventilator since last week, and his condition remains critical. He was admitted to a hospital in Canada after complaining of breathlessness.
Since the early hours of 31 December 2018, there had been some news reports about Kader Khan's death. These were enough to trigger a flurry of condolence messages on Twitter. However, the actor’s son, Sarfaraz Khan, rubbished all the reports about his father's demise.
Speaking to the news agency PTI, or the Press Trust of India, Sarfaraz Khan said, “It is all a lie. It [is] just a rumour. My father is in the hospital.”
Khan, 81, is suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease which leads to deterioration of the brain. Some of the symptoms include loss of balance, difficulty in moving the eyes, slowing of movement, and dementia.
Kader Khan acted in more than 400 films and wrote the dialogues for over 100. He showed his versatility as an actor in films like Biwi Ho Toh Aisi (1988), Majboor (1989), Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1990), Aashiq Aawara (1993), Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Coolie No 1 (1995) and Dulhe Raja (1998).
Some of his noteworthy work as dialogue writer came in blockbusters like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Mr Natwarlal (1979), Suhaag (1979), Laawaris (1981), Coolie (1983), Coolie No 1, and Saajan Chale Sasural (1996).