Sanjay Dutt’s sister Priya Dutt says actor's first wife Richa Sharma’s cancer diagnosis was 'particularly tough' on him: 'You can't pin...'

Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of death. 

Sanjay Dutt, fondly known as 'Baba' in Bollywood, has lived a life filled with highs and heartbreaks. From box office success and time in prison to personal tragedies and health struggles, he has faced it all. In a recent conversation on the Vickey Lalwani Podcast, his sister Priya Dutt opened up about the painful moments in his life, including the loss of his first wife, Richa Sharma, and his own fight against cancer.

Dutt married Richa Sharma in 1987. But just two years later, Richa was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Priya recalled, “It was a very tragic thing to get diagnosed with a brain tumor at that age and to pass away so young. It was particularly tough on Sanjay.”

Richa Sharma passed away in 1996 at her parents' home in New York, leaving behind their daughter, Trishala Dutt. She now lives in the United States and works as a psychotherapist.

Despite the personal tragedy, Sanjay found a way to keep going. “He is a resilient person; he takes things in his stride. You can’t pin him down for too long; he will always come back,” Priya said. 

Years later, when Sanjay was diagnosed with cancer, the family once again got together. Priya remembered how challenging it felt. His career had just started picking up again, and he was finally landing some really good projects. But even then, he chose to face it all head-on. 

The dotting sister shared that their family has always worked like that: They give each other space to grow when things are going well, but the moment something goes wrong, they come together without a second thought.

What made Sanjay’s fight even more inspiring was his attitude toward treatment. “All he asked was not to be treated like a patient. He used to come from chemotherapy and would work out straight after. He doesn’t let anything bring him down,” Priya added.

Despite past troubles, Sanjay Dutt's resilient spirit speaks for the movies he is doing and will soon be seen in. Dutt has two films lined up. He will next be seen in The Bhootnii, a horror-comedy releasing on May 1, 2025, in which he stars alongside Mouni Roy and Sunny Singh. 

He will also be seen in the fifth instalment of the popular comedy franchise, Housefull 5. Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, the movie has an ensemble star cast that includes Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Fardeen Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, Nargis Fakhri, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Chunky Pandey, Johny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, Dino Morea, Chitrangada Singh, Ranjeet, Soundarya Sharma and Nikitin Dheer.

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