Earlier in the day, veteran actress Shabana Azmi and noted lyricist Javed Akhtar met with a horrific road accident near Khalapur on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway after their car rammed into a truck. While Akhtar escaped unharmed, Shabana received injuries and was rushed to MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai. Later in the day, she was shifted to Kokilaben Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.
And, after waiting for hours in anticipation, finally comes a piece of positive news - the actress' condition is stable.
"Veteran Actor Ms Shabana Azmi has been admitted at Kokilaben Ambani hospital. She is stable and under observation," stated Dr Santosh Shetty, Executive Director and CEO, Kokilaben Hospital.
Her car, in which her husband and noted lyricist Javed Akhtar was also travelling, dashed against a truck on the highway towards Pune at around 4.15 p.m on Saturday, states the preliminary report. Highway police patrol teams were rushed to investigate the accident site.
Meanwhile, the Raigad Police have also issued an official statement regarding the accident, which reads, "Shabana Azmi and her driver was injured in an accident near Khalapur on Pune-Mumbai Expressway. While they were driving from Pune to Mumbai their vehicle hit by a truck on the expressway. Javed Akhtar was also present in the car who is safe. Both the injured have been shifted to MGM Hospital."
Soon after the news of the accident went out, the actor's family and friends from the industry were seen rushing to the hospital. Apart from Javed Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar and his girlfriend Shibani Dandekar, Zoya Akhtar, Anil Kapoor with wife Sunita and Tabu were seen entering the hospital on Saturday evening.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to wish Shabana Azmi a speedy recovery.
He wrote, "The news of @AzmiShabana Ji’s injury in an accident is distressing. I pray for her quick recovery."
(With inputs from IANS)