Legendary screenwriter Salim Khan, 90, is in hospital. Doctors admitted him to Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital on Tuesday morning after his health deteriorated suddenly. He suffered a haemorrhage. Surgeons operated on him, and doctors now have him on ventilator support. His condition is critical but stable. The medical team is watching him closely — and so is the entire film industry.
What the Doctors Are Saying
Pulmonologist Dr. Jalil Parkar addressed the press directly.
“He has undergone surgery and is now kept on a ventilator. His condition is stable now. At 11 AM on Wednesday, we will issue a press bulletin with the consent of the family and relatives.”
Dr. Parkar added a note of caution. Salim Khan remains stable, but doctors are monitoring his clinical status continuously. The hospital will release a formal bulletin on Wednesday morning — in coordination with the family.
Family Rushes to His Side
News of the hospitalisation brought the Khan family to the Bandra-based hospital immediately. Superstar Salman Khan arrived, spent time at his father’s bedside, and left visibly shaken. He said nothing to the press. His expression said everything.
Sons Arbaaz Khan and daughter Arpita Khan Sharma also arrived quickly. Grandsons Nirvaan and Arhaan joined the family vigil. The Khans closed ranks around their patriarch.
The show of support extended beyond family. Actor Sanjay Dutt made the trip to Lilavati. More strikingly, legendary lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar — Salim Khan’s former creative partner — showed up without hesitation. Decades have passed since their professional split. None of that mattered on Tuesday. Akhtar came.
“He Was a Father Figure to Me”
Former actress Somy Ali spoke from the heart. She once dated Salman Khan and lived under the same roof as his family. She shared a public note:
“Hearing that Salim Khan has been hospitalised made my heart sink. To me, he was a father figure. Living in his home, I was treated like a daughter — included at the table, part of deep conversations about faith, where all religions were respected and celebrated. Praying for his strength and recovery.”
Her words captured something a filmography never can. Behind the legend is a man people love deeply and personally.
The Man Who Wrote Bollywood’s Soul
To understand why this story matters, you need to understand who Salim Khan is.
He formed one half of the iconic Salim–Javed duo — the other half being Javed Akhtar. Together, they built the spine of mainstream Bollywood in the 1970s and early 1980s. Their scripts didn’t just sell tickets. They gave Indian audiences a cinematic language for anger, rebellion, and aspiration.
Their legacy reads like a hall of fame. Zanjeer (1973). Deewar (1975). Sholay (1975). Trishul (1978). Each film burrowed into the national consciousness and stayed there.
Think of what Lennon and McCartney meant to rock music. Salim–Javed meant the same to Hindi cinema. They were also the first screenwriters in Bollywood history to receive above-the-title billing. That was a revolution. Writers had always been invisible. Salim and Javed refused to be.
At 90, Salim Khan is a living bridge to that era. He carries stories that shaped modern India’s cultural imagination.
Bollywood Waits
Salim Khan remains on ventilator support at Lilavati Hospital. His family has requested privacy. His medical team continues to observe him closely. The official health bulletin arrives Wednesday morning.
Until then, Bollywood waits. Millions of fans — people who grew up reciting lines these hands once wrote — wait with them.
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