New Delhi (AFP)
Indian actor Sanjay Dutt, one of the Bollywood stars whose life has been so hectic it has been the subject of a film, has lung cancer, Indian media reported Wednesday.
Dubbed Bollywood's 'bad boy', 61-year-old Sanjay Dutt was released from prison in 2016 after four years behind bars after lengthy legal proceedings. He was convicted in 2007 for illegal possession of weapons allegedly handed over to him by people involved in the Bombay attacks on March 12, 1993 (257 dead).
The Hindi-speaking actor whose Muslim mother and Hindu father were two of India's biggest stars, has also struggled with drugs.
On Tuesday, he posted a statement on social media explaining that he was taking "a short break for medical treatment." The media then quoted a tweet from specialist journalist Komal Nahta according to which he suffers from lung cancer and is going to the United States for treatment.
Sanjay Dutt rose to fame in the mid-1980s with action movies where he performed his own stunts. His life took a dramatic turn with his arrest after the Bombay bombings.
Sentenced to six years in prison initially, he spent 18 months in prison before being released on bail in 2007 pending the outcome of an appeal. His sentence was reduced to five years in 2013 and he was returned to prison before being released in early 2016 with early release for good behavior.
Married three times, in 1996 he lost his first wife Richa, who suffered from a brain tumor. In 2018, a film called "Sanju" recounted his colorful life.
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