When Sanjay Dutt was devastated by his first wife Richa’s death from cancer while he was in jail

Richa, Sanjay's first wife, died of a brain tumour in 1996 when he was just 32 years old.

Actor Sanjay Dutt is among Bollywood's most successful and versatile stars, with a career spanning more than a hundred films. Beyond the glamour of his career, however, he has suffered from severe personal tragedies, such as the sudden deaths of two of the most significant women in his life, his mother Nargis and his first wife Richa Sharma, both from cancer.

Richa, Sanjay's first wife, died of a brain tumour in 1996 when he was just 32 years old. Because the couple also had a young daughter, Trishala Dutt, who experienced the anguish of losing her mother at a young age, the loss was particularly devastating.

Shortly after her Bollywood debut, Sanjay and Richa fell in love, and they were married in 1987. However, Richa's cancer diagnosis soon rocked their world. Sanjay had already lost his mother, Nargis, to cancer in 1981, shortly before the release of his first movie, Rocky, so this was especially devastating for him.

Sanjay took Richa to New York for treatment, holding onto hope. Although the doctors initially offered them hope, he was unable to be with her at this crucial time due to his filming obligations in India. After being deemed cancer-free, Richa returned to India in 1992, but by that time, the couple's emotional distance had grown.

Reports suggest that Sanjay did not come to receive her at the airport, which deeply hurt her. Soon after, she went back to New York with their daughter Trishala.

Eventually, they got divorced but soon after that Richa's cancer had relapsed. Unfortunately, Sanjay Dutt was in jail after he was arrested under the TADA laws in 1996 and during the same time, Richa passed away. Sanjay couldn't be with her during her final days, making it a painful part of his life.

Also read: Sanjay Dutt on his lung cancer diagnosis: "I cried for three hours, was totally out of breath but..."

Speaking about this dark phase, Sanjay’s sister Priya Dutt once recalled his emotional struggle. In an interview with Vicky Lalwani, she said, “It is not about how we have got it all bad. I believe your problems seem too much until you see somebody else’s problems. With God’s grace, at least we have been able to come out stronger out of every problem. Hua hai problems, I am not saying nahi hua hai (There were a lot of problems, not denying that). We have seen the worst, and we have seen the best as well. But he is a resilient person; he takes things in his stride. You can’t pin him down too long; he will always return.”

Despite the storms, Sanjay eventually found stability again. In 2008, he married Maanayata Dutt, and together they have twins — son Shahraan and daughter Iqra.