In a tragic blow to the Indian film industry, Bollywood icon Vinod Khanna breathed his last on Thursday.
The veteran actor was hospitalised and later discharged from HN Reliance Foundation and Research Centre in Girgaum, Mumbai due to severe dehydration. He was also reportedly battling cancer for years.
Born on October 6, 1946 in a Punjabi family to Kamla and Kishanchand Khanna in Peshawar, Vinod studied commerce at Mumbai’s Sydenham College before moving into acting.
Khanna was married to Geetanjali between 1971 and 1985 and has two sons with her, Rahul Khanna and Akshaye Khanna. He married Kavita with whom he has two children, Sakshi and Shraddha.
Vinod Khanna appeared in 141 films between 1968 and 2013 and also forayed into politics by joining the BJP. He was Minister of State for Tourism and Culture in 2002.
He might have made his debut as a villain in Sunil Dutt’s 1968 film ‘Man Ka Meet’, but later started playing lead roles. The film, which was made to launch Sunil Dutt’s brother Som, helped make Vinod the cynosure of all eyes. Within weeks of the release of the film, more than a dozen producers lined up outside his house to sign him.
The actor also received a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 for his contribution to the film industry for over three decades.
