SHABANA AZMI INJURED IN CAR ACCIDENT

MUMBAI: Veteran actor Shabana Azmi was injured in a car crash on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Saturday, the police said. Her condition is stable, hospital officials said.

Azmi, 69, sustained injuries to her face and was first rushed to MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai before being shifted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai’s Andheri.

“She is stable and under observation,” said Dr Santosh Shetty, executive director and CEO of Ambani Hospital in a statement.

Azmi’s spokesperson said the actor was undergoing a check-up and that there was “nothing to worry about”, reported news agency PTI.

Her husband and lyricist Javed Akhtar (75), who was travelling in another vehicle behind Azmi’s, was unhurt in the accident.

The incident took place around 4pm on Saturday near Khalapur, over 60km from Mum

bai, when the Tata Safari car she was travelling in rammed a truck, Raigad superintendent of police Anil Paraskar said.

The car driver was trying to overtake another vehicle when he hit the truck, said inspector Vishwajeet Kaingade, Khalapur police station. Within 15 minutes of the accident, a police team reached the spot but first responders had already taken Azmi to MGM Hospital. Azmi, who was sitting in the passenger seat behind her driver was later declared out of danger and shifted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Andheri.

The driver of the Safari, identified as Kamlesh Kamath, also sustained minor injuries.

Investigations are underway and the police said they are in the process of registering a case under sections 279 (rash and negligent driving) and 337 (causing hurt by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against Kamath.