Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan Monday wished ailing communist patriarch Jyoti Basu speedy recovery, saying the country needed people like him to be hale and hearty.

"The country needs people like him hale and hearty, " Shah Rukh told media persons here.

Shah Rukh said while on his way from the airport he was planning to drop in at the AMRI hospital where Basu is now battling pneumonia. "But I decided not to go as my visit may create a disturbance, " he said.

He said he felt sad to see images of Basu in the hospital. "I pray to Allah that he gets well soon."

The actor said he had met Basu when he came here for a film promo some years back.