Actor Vinod Khanna passes away at 70
Veteran actor Vinod Khanna, star of cult movies like 'Amar Akbar Anthony', 'Hera Pheri' and 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar', died on April 27 in Mumbai. He was 70. He had been in hospital since March 31 due to severe dehydration, his son Rahul Khanna had said. Khanna is survived by his second wife Kavita Khanna and four children - Akshaye, Rahul, Saakshi and Shraddha.
His career at a glance
Khanna's filmography consists of over 140 names. He debuted with 'Man Ka Meet' (1968), and was seen on the big screen for the last time in 'Dilwale' (2015). He also had a successful career in politics that started in 1997; Khanna has served in the culture and tourism and external affairs ministries. At the time of his death, Khanna was the sitting-MP from Gurdaspur.
Awards galore
Vinod Khanna acted in 141 films between 1968 and 2013. He was awarded the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for the film 'Haath ke Safai'(1975) and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
Was Khanna suffering from cancer? Rumours about his health
Rumours about his deteriorating health started coming in around late 2016. There were conflicting reports; some said he was suffering from cancer. He almost disappeared from the public eye after that. A week after admission into Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital in March'17, doctors reported he had "responded positively to the treatment and is now stable."
Tributes pour in on social media
Condolences poured in from different quarters. Congress leader MIlind Deora tweeted, "A legend on & off the screen." Colleague Rajeev Shukla said, "Not only the film industry but the entire nation lost a great personality." BJP leader Sambit Patra lauded "one of the most dashing personalities Bollywood ever produced!" Journalists Harsha Bhogle and Shobhaa De, and cricketers Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan paid tributes.
