Pakeezah actor Geeta Kapoor abandoned by son at hospital, filmmakers pay her bills

Geeta Kapoor, who was seen in Kamal Amrohi’s Pakeezah (1972) with Rajkumar and Meena Kumari, was found abandoned by her son at a Mumbai hospital.

A Times of India report said Geeta was brought to SRV Hospital in Goregaon (Mumbai) in an unconscious state in April and was suffering from low blood pressure. Geeta’s son Raja, who is a choreographer, left the hospital claiming he would return with cash (deposit for Geeta’s admission at the hospital) but he never showed up.

Dr Dipendra Tripathi, chief intensivist of the hospital says, “As soon as the ambulance brought her to hospital, the son asked if a deposit had to be paid. He left the hospital on the pretext of looking for an ATM and never returned. Since admission, no one from the family has asked about her.”

“Her BP was low. She was definitely not well-fed,” he added.

When hospitals officials visited the residence to look for Geeta’s son, neighbours told them the place had been rented out three months ago and the family had vacated it within hours of sending the mother to hospital, the report further said.

Filmmaker and CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) member Ashoke Pandit and producer Ramesh Taurani have paid Geeta’s hospital bills that amount to Rs 1.5 lakh. “I came to know that an old lady named Geeta Kapoor has been abandoned in a Mumbai hospital by her children only after reading about it in the newspapers. I didn’t know Geeta Kapoor is the Geeta Kapoor from Pakeezah. After reaching the hospital I cleared the bills, and I wanted to tell the hospital guys that she will be taken care of, so there are no insecurities from the hospital’s side and they would continue treating her. Paying the bills was not a big thing, really. I saw my mother in her,” Indian Express quoted Pandit.

Another doctor said, “Raja got her to us, lying about him being an army officer and she needing urgent treatment. He was asked to pay a deposit and complete the formalities. He left saying he would get money from the nearest ATM, but never returned. We had no option but to start the treatment as she was in a bad shape.”

Hindustan Times could not independently verify the reports.

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First Published: May 29, 2017 16:52 IST