Sanjay Dutt cried for 3 hours after lung cancer diagnosis; Rakesh Roshan helped him get treatment post US visa rejection

DISCLAIMER: This article contains references to cancer and the actor’s medical journey.Sanjay Dutt is one such Bollywood star who has faced many ups and downs in life, a journey so dramatic that much of it was shown in his biopic 'Sanju'. He has never shied away from speaking about the most difficult and vulnerable chapters of his life. Among the hardest was his cancer diagnosis, a moment that left him shaken and emotional. The 'Vaastav' actor once opened up about how he dealt with this shocking news and found the strength to face it.Speaking to YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia on his podcast in the past, the 'Khalnayak' actor had revealed that he was diagnosed during the lockdown and initially struggled to process the news.He said, “It was a normal day in the lockdown. When I walked up the stairs, I was totally out of breath. I had a bath, I couldn’t breathe, I didn’t know what was happening, so I called up my doctor. In the x-ray, more than half of my lungs were covered in water. They had to tap the water out. They all were hoping it was TB (tuberculosis) but it turned out to be cancer.”Sanjay Dutt had shared how overwhelmed he felt after hearing the diagnosis. He explained, “How to break it to me, it was a big issue. I could have broken somebody’s face. So, my sister came, I was like, ‘Okay, I’ve got cancer, now what?’. Then you start planning this, we’ll do this and that… But I did cry for two-three hours because I was thinking about my kids and my life and my wife and everything, these flashes come and I said, I am going to stop getting weak. First, we decided (to seek treatment in the US), but didn’t get the visa, so I said, I’ll do it here.”The 'Saajan' actor further explained how his family organised his treatment and how Rakesh Roshan, father of Hrithik Roshan, recommended a doctor.He further added, “They told me that I’d lose hair and other things would happen, I’d vomit, so I told the doctor ‘mereko kuch nahi hoga’, I’ll not lose hair, I’ll not vomit, I won’t lie on the bed, and she kind of smiled. I did my chemotherapy, and I came back and I sat on that bike for one hour and I cycled, I did that day after day, everyday. After every chemo (session) I did that. It was crazy, I used to go for chemo, Dubai, and then I used to go to the badminton court and play for two-three hours.”The 'Agneepath' actor further revealed how he challenged cancer by taking up fitness in his own hands and slowly regaining his strength. He explained that the only way to fight the disease was by challenging it. Sharing his progress, he said it had been two months since he started going to the gym, where he had lost weight, regained muscle, and was slowly returning to his old self. He added that he wanted to bring back the Sanjay Dutt everyone knew and admitted that while he had once let himself go, he would not do so again.In October 2020, Sanjay Dutt finally announced that he was cancer-free, much to the joy of all his fans and well-wishers. He credited his recovery to his own resilience and the support of his family.On the work front, Sanjay Dutt’s recent film 'Baaghi 4' starring Tiger Shroff, Harnaz Sandhu, Sonam Bajwa released in cinemas on September 5, 2025. His next film, the Ranveer Singh-starrer 'Dhurandhar', directed by 'Uri' fame Aditya Dhar, the film is slated for release in December 2025.Meanwhile, yesterday Rakesh Roshan celebrated his 76th birthday and his son Hrithik Roshan shared a heartfelt note, “Happy birthday to you papa. Thank you for building this resilience inside me. When life gets hard, it feels like home. Nothing can and nothing will shake the soldier in me. Over the years I have learnt to see the opposite as well , and I know you have too. The discovery of worthiness within , the simplicity of just being, the collapse of external validation. Never complete , but no longer empty. I would have never reached this place of equanimity, this place of wisdom, without first traversing the hard path. Thank you for building that soldier in me. For being the best teacher one could ask for. I stand proud (and strong) , cause I am your son . I love you.”Also See: Sanjay Dutt recalls strange police call after woman’s death leaving him property worth Rs 159 crore: ‘I didn’t even know the lady’