Shabana Azmi admitted at Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital; stable & under observation

Mumbai's Kokilaben Hospital has issued a statement on the condition of veteran actor Shabana Azmi who was injured in a car crash on the Mumbai-Pune expressway on Saturday afternoon.

"Veteran Actor Ms Shabana Azmi has been admitted at Kokilaben Ambani hospital. She is stable and under observation," reads the statement from Dr Santosh Shetty, Executive Director, and CEO

Azmi had been moved to Kokilaben Hospital from the MGM Hospital in Panvel where she had first been taken. Images of the accident site showed her to have clearly been hurt, and while no blood was visible, her face bore clear bruises. The car she and Javed Akhtar were travelling in, a Tata Safari Storm, had suffered significant, perhaps irreparable damage, after crashing into the rear of a truck. Javed Akhtar suffered no apparent injuries, however, and was seen speaking on the phone outside the hospital.

The accident took place at about 3:30 pm, 60 km away from Mumbai, the Raigad police confirmed, adding that it had taken place while ill-fated car was trying to overtake a truck.

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The statement by the hospital comes right after PM Modi had tweeted his prayers, calling the accident distressing.

A number of Shabana Azmi's fellow members of the Bollywood fraternity have made their way to the hospital since she was shifted there. Anil Kapoor and Tabu were photographed making their way in. Others, such as Swara Bhasker and Ranvir Shorey have issued statements offering prayers for her speedy recovery. A-listers like Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor had asked people on Twitter to refrain from sharing photos of a stricken Shabana Azmi.

Maharashtra Minister Ashok Chavan had earlier telephoned the MGM Hospital in Panvel and issued an update. 

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