Kader Khan dead: Afghan-born Bollywood actor and writer dies aged 81

Renowned actor and screenwriter appeared in over 300 films and worked alongside some of the biggest names in Bollywood

(Puja Films)

Bollywood star Kader Khan has died in hospital in Canada at the age of 81, following a prolonged illness. According to reports, he had been suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy, an extremely rare degenerative brain disease.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1937, Khan was renowned in the film industry for his comedy roles and was also a prolific screenwriter. His family moved to Mumbai when he was a child.

He made his acting debut in 1973 in the film Daag, starring Rajesh Khanna and Sarmila Tagore, after helping to produce a number of hits including Dharam Veer, Sharaabi, and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. He went on to star in over 300 films.

He played a large role in the career of Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan, who remembered his friend as a “compassionate and accomplished talent.”

Khan gave Bachchan some of his career's biggest hits, with memorable dialogues in a series of films including Lawaaris, Naseeb and Agneepath, the latter for which the film star won his first Best Actor National Film Award in 1991.

“Kadar Khan passes away… sad depressing news… my prayers and condolences… a brilliant stage artist [and] a most compassionate and accomplished talent on film,” Bachchan tweeted. “A writer of eminence in most of my very successful films, delightful company… and a mathematician!!”

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi was among the many other people who expressed sadness at Khan's passing and paid tribute to his work.

Modi described him as a performer who “brightened the screen with his stupendous acting skills and lightened it thanks to his unique sense of humour.”

Former actor turned politician Smriti Irani also paid tribute, tweeting, “If you were a late 80s-90s kid who watched Hindi films, chances are you encountered the magic of Kader Khan.”

Khan’s last appearance on screen was in 2017 in the film Masti Nahi Sasti. Before that, he was seen in Tevar (2015), but by then his roles had largely dwindled – to his apparent resentment.

“Some people refused to keep me with them. I was a little unwell. And people refused to take me back into their films,” Khan said at the trailer launch of his comedy Hogaya Dimaagh Ka Dahi in 2015, according to NDTV.

“My dad has left us,” his son Sarfaraz told PTI. “He passed away on December 31 at 6pm 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.”

He added: “We are thankful to everyone for their blessings and prayers.”