- Sanjay Dutt's mother, Nargis Dutt, died from pancreatic cancer after treatment in the US
- Nargis underwent major surgery but faced multiple health issues
- Sunil Dutt sent Sanjay back to India to complete his debut film Rocky during Nargis's coma
Sanjay Dutt has shed light on one of the hardest periods of his life. It came when his mother and legendary actor Nargis Dutt battled cancer. Her health deteriorated while receiving treatment in the United States, and she went into a coma.
At the time, Sanjay was under pressure, for his debut film, Rocky, was fast approaching theatrical release.
In a conversation with AIG Hospitals Chairman, Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, Sanjay Dutt recalled that his mother died from pancreatic cancer. He said medical treatment was not as advanced then as it is now. Nargis underwent a major surgery at Sloan Kettering, but she faced multiple health problems during her treatment.
He recalled how his father, actor Sunil Dutt, sent him back to India so he could finish the film, despite Nargis being in a critical condition.
“I was sent back when my mother was in a coma. Papa sent me back to complete the film. I just couldn't understand at that time why I had to complete the film when my mother was in a coma. I did that, I came back. She really fought an amazing battle. I saw her fighting, and I think she just wanted to come back home somehow. The whole fight she gave up once she came back, and we lost her when she was back here,” the actor recalled.
Sanjay was only around 19 or 20 at the time and remembered how difficult it was to see his mother so unwell. He and his younger sisters also donated platelets. Sanjay described those years as “a very traumatic time.”
Sanjay Dutt remembered his father, Sunil Dutt, as a strict parent who taught him important values. He said his father taught him to respect elders and treat everyone with respect. These lessons stayed with the actor as he grew up.
Sanjay Dutt's father, Sunil Dutt, died in 2005.