Veteran actor, politician Vinod Khanna dies at 70; was ill with cancer

Mumbai, Apr 27: Veteran actor and politician Vinod Khanna passes away on 27 April 2017, in Mumbai. He was 70.

Khanna had been suffering from a bout of ill health and had been hospitalised since Friday, 31 March. At this time his son Rahul Khanna had told the press that the yesteryear screen icon had been admitted after suffering from severe dehydration and added that doctors hoped to discharge Khanna senior soon.

However, an image — purportedly from Vinod Khanna’s hospital room — that showed him looking frail and emaciated, was widely circulated on WhatsApp groups and sparked widespread concerns about his health. Unconfirmed reports claimed that the actor was possibly undergoing treatment for cancer.

Khanna was the sitting MP from Gurdaspur.

But while he did navigate a fairly successful innings in politics, the success he attained in his film career remained unsurpassed. From the time he made his debut in 1968, he appeared in over 140 films and even had a supporting role in the 2015 Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starred Dilwale.

Khanna typified the term ‘matinee idol’ and with his suave, urbane appearance, he was widely considered among the most handsome actors of the Hindi film industry. But his onscreen presence went beyond his appearance, and Khanna made a mark — be it in commercial capers like Amar Akbar Anthony and Qurbani, or the more critically acclaimed Achanak.

Khanna’s sons Akshaye and Rahul, from his first marriage (to Geetanjali Khanna) follows him into show business. Khanna also has two children, a son Saakshi and daughter Shraddha, from his second marriage (to Kavita Khanna).