Mahesh Bhatt visits ailing ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan
Indian filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has visited ailing "Shahenshah-e-Ghazal" Mehdi Hassan in a hospital in the Pakistani port city of Karachi and described him as a "gem" who belonged to the whole of South Asia.Bhatt, who was in Karachi to attend a film festival, visited Hassan at Agha Khan hospital to which he was recently admitted with a lung infection.
Bhatt, who was in Karachi to attend a film festival, visited Hassan at Agha Khan hospital to which he was recently admitted with a lung infection."When I heard that Mehdi sahab is in hospital, I decided to go and see him. Mehdi sahab is a gem who belongs to the whole region and not just Pakistan," Bhatt told reporters.
Arif Mehdi, Hassan's son, said, "Not only is he unable to speak but he is also unable to recognise his family members."
President Asif Ali Zardari last week provided Rs 1 million for the treatment of Hassan, who is known as the "Shahenshah-e-Ghazal".
Hassan, 81, was born into a family of traditionalmusicians at Luna village in India's Rajasthan state in 1927. His family migrated to Pakistan at the time of partition. Hassan cut back on his performances in the late 1980s due to illness.
Last year, the government declared that Hassan would be provided lifetime assistance of Rs 50,000 a month.
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