Shabana Azmi injured in car crash on Mumbai-Pune Expressway; actor fine, nothing to worry about, says spokesperson
Javed Akhtar, who was also travelling with his wife Shabana Azmi, is safe, as per reports.
Actress Shabana Azmi and another person were injured in a car accident on Saturday afternoon on Mumbai-Pune Expressway in Maharashtra's Raigad district.
The mangled remains of Shabana Azmi's car. ANI
Her lyricist-husband Javed Akhtar, who was also travelling with her, is safe, reports Mumbai Mirror.
The incident occurred near Khalapur, over 60 kilometres from Mumbai, when the Tata Safari car in which they were traveling to Pune rammed into a truck, said Raigad superintendent of police Anil Paraskar.
Azmi's spokesperson said the actor was undergoing a check-up. "She is fine, nothing to worry about," the spokesperson added. Javed Akhtar celebrated his 75th birthday on Friday.
A local police official said the driver was apparently trying to overtake another vehicle and rammed into the truck. One more person who was travelling in the car sustained minor injuries, he said. His identity is not yet known.
Azmi was admitted at Kokilaben Ambani hospital in suburban Andheri after initial treatment at MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai.
"She is stable and under observation," said Dr Santosh Shetty, Executive Director and CEO of Ambani Hospital in a statement late in the evening
Azmi is known for her path-breaking roles in films such as Arth, Ankur, Paar, Masoom and Godmother.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor, filmmaker Hansal Mehta, and actors Neena Gupta, Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Swara Bhasker wished a speedy recovery to the veteran actor on Twitter.
The news of @AzmiShabana Ji’s injury in an accident is distressing. I pray for her quick recovery.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 18, 2020
Came to know abt Shabana Azmi ji’s accident. I pray to God for her fast recovery and good health.
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 18, 2020
Praying for fast recovery of Shabana Azmi who is seriously injured today in a road accident on Mumbai-Pune expressway.#ShabanaAzmi — Sanjay Nirupam (@sanjaynirupam) January 18, 2020
Spoke to @Javedakhtarjadu. She has suffered some injuries &is being moved to a bigger hospital in Mumbai. Further scans will be required, but he has been assured she is out of danger. I have assured him of all our prayers & best wishes for her speedy recovery. https://t.co/0XPwGys3hq — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) January 18, 2020
Thank god we pray fr u shanana https://t.co/ULfIDu6SI6
— Neena Gupta (@Neenagupta001) January 18, 2020
To all my dear friends in the media if someone has met with an accident please do not splash their pictures all over it can be extremely distressing to their family and loved ones.This is just a humble request thank you 🙏
— Varun SAHEJ Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) January 18, 2020
This is a request to all our friends in the media if someone has met with an accident please don’t put up those photos.Please have some empathy and sensitivity and think how distressing this can be to their family members and loved ones.Please take it down immediately.Thank you. — Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) January 18, 2020
Shabana Azmi injured in road accident on Mumbai- Pune Expressway OMG! Praying so hard 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 https://t.co/zV4XRo2pqH — Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 18, 2020
(With inputs from Press Trust of India)