Today, on World Cancer Day, we bring you Sanjay Dutt‘s close friend and filmmaker Rahul Mittra, talking about Sanju’s fight against the big C. Sanjay was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2020.

Talking to ETimes, Rahul says, “I think August 11 was the first time that the media reported that Sanjay has stage 4 lung cancer. I had requested the media to refrain from speculation as certain tests were still going on. We all knew there was a problem but I wanted him to first give a statement and then the media could have written about it- but anyway.”

Continues Rahul, “But Sanju did not linger and waste time. He immediately got down to taking all the possible steps to cure himself. It was being said and discussed that he might go abroad for treatment but India has such good doctors and he decided to not fly out. He accepted his problem and mind you, it takes a lot of courage to do that. Some people in his place might not have been able to take it and got shaken up mentally. But this is Sanjay Dutt we are talking about. The world knows this man’s journey which has had so many problems and yet he has borne and faced them. Rajkumar Hirani’s film ‘Sanju’ was a stark depiction of that.”

Rahul reveals he cried uncontrollably when he heard Sanju’s voice on the phone after Sanju’s medical reports had spelt cancer. “I still cannot forget the first time I spoke to him after it was confirmed that he had the Big C. I broke down on the phone and told him to promise me that he would come out of it.And he promised. He told me that I should take care of myself as friends have to be strong. It was so reassuring. Sanju is a rock. He was determined to defeat cancer. Hats off to his will-power. You also need wisdom to take stock of things if you are in a crisis and Sanju has that. I missed my meeting with him just few days back when he was shooting at Yash Raj Studios. I had to fly back to Delhi and his shoot had got a bit extended, that day. We were supposed to have lunch together. I cannot wait to meet him next which will now happen about 15 days later. I have had 2 films with Sanju in the last 4 years (Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, Torbaaz), there’s so much to learn from him, he’s a fighter, he’s a survivor, he’s a winner. His latest MRI and PET scan says he is cancer free. Touch wood.”