Veteran Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna passed away at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital on Thursday. “He breathed his last at 11.20 a.m. He was suffering from bladder carcinoma,” said a hospital spokesperson. He was 70.
The BJP MP was hospitalised early this month. While hospital authorities maintained that he was there only for “severe dehydration”, sources said that he was under the care of an oncologist. The actor’s family had also maintained that he was hospitalised for dehydration issues.
Hailed for his work in some of best Hindi films like Amar Akbar Anthony, Qurbani, Mere Apne, Khanna’s ‘angry young man’ portrayal was admired by many over the years.
Khanna had won many awards, including the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Hindi cinema.
“It was the X-ray eyes of the imaginative Gulzar which spotted my talent and utilised them to the hilt in ‘Achanak’ and ‘Mere Apne’, my best films as a lead actor. I still consider ‘Koi Hota Jis Ko Apna’ from ‘Mere Apne’ the best song I ever lipped,” Khanna told The Hindu in 2011.
His multi-starrers such as Parvarish, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Achanak and the Atma Ram’s Aarop helped him hold his own against stars such as Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachhan.
