Veteran Indian actor Kader Khan passed away on Tuesday morning (Jan 1) in Canada.

“Yes, my dad has left us this morning. He was unwell from last few months and in the hospital from last few days. We tried everything we could, but it was time. He was a very loving man and he loved everyone who was a part of his life,” Kader Khan’s son Sarfaraz Khan told The Indian Express.

The 81-year-old actor developed breathing issues and the doctors reportedly transferred him from a regular ventilator to BiPAP ventilator.

Khan, who lived in Canada with his son Sarfaraz and daughter-in-law, underwent a knee surgery last year, which went wrong, leaving the actor unable to walk properly.

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.