We had no idea: ‘Shamshera’ director on Sanjay Dutt battling cancer

Seeing Sanjay Dutt coming to film sets and working despite battling cancer literally increased ‘Shamshera’ director Karan Malhotra’s respect for the former.

Sharing how Sanjay silently braved the illness without letting anybody know about it during the film shoot, Karan said, “The news that Sanjay sir had been diagnosed with cancer came to all of us like a huge shock. We had no idea about it. He was talking, behaving, and working as if nothing has happened. I guess that’s why he is where he is today, having conquered this too.

Sanjay sir doesn’t let anything get the better of him. He is an inspiration on the sets for everyone.” He added, “Having given so many years of his life to his craft, Sanjay sir leads from the front and his demeanour shows us all how to conduct ourselves on the set. He went about shooting Shamshera with the attitude that there is nothing he can’t conquer. He never mentioned what he was going through personally. He kept the mood on the set light.”

Karan called Sanjay “superman.”

“It is exemplary how he silently showed us that we too can face life’s adversities with a smile on our faces. To me, Sanjay sir is a superman and there is no one like him. I’m indebted for his support towards Shamshera. He is a constant guide and a mentor to me,” he said.

Sanjay was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in August 2020. A few months later, he announced that he was cancer-free and had shared a note, “The last few weeks were very difficult time for my family and me. But like they say, God gives the hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. And today, on the occasion of my kids’ birthday, I am happy to come out victorious from this battle and be able to give them the best gift I can—the health and well-being of our family.”

Sanjay is now waiting for the release of ‘Shamshera’, which will be out in theatres on 22 July.